List of West Virginia state symbols

The following is a list of symbols of the U.S. state of West Virginia.

Insignia

Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia
Type Symbol Year Image
Coat of arms The Coat of Arms of West Virginia 1863[1]
Flag The flag of West Virginia consists of the coat of arms, wreathed below in rhododendron and bannered with "State of West Virginia" above, on a white field bound in blue 1929[1]
Motto Montani Semper Liberi
(Mountaineers [are] Always Free) 		1863,[1][2] 1872[3] —
Seal The Great Seal of the State of West Virginia 1863[1][2]

Flora and fauna

Type Symbol Year Image
Animal Black bear 1954,[1] 1973[3]
Bird Cardinal 1949[1]
Butterfly Monarch butterfly 1995[3]
Fish Brook trout 1973[1]
Flower Rhododendron 1903[1]
Fruit Apple 1972[3]
Golden Delicious apple 1995[3]
Insect Honey bee 2002[3]
Reptile Timber rattlesnake 2008[4]
Tree Sugar maple 1949[1][3]

Inanimate

Type Symbol Year Image
Fossil Jefferson's ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii) 2008[4]
Gem Silicified Mississippian Lithostrotionella coral 1990[3]
Rock Bituminous coal 2009[5]
Soil Monongahela 1997[3][6]

Cultural

Type Symbol Year Image
Colors Old gold and blue 1963[1]
Official holiday West Virginia Day – June 20 1927[3] —
Official songs "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "The West Virginia Hills," "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home" and "This Is My West Virginia" 1971, 1963, 2014[7]
Steam Locomotive Cass Scenic Railroad #5 2004[8]
Tartan West Virginia Shawl (adaptation) 2008[9]
State Firearm Harpers Ferry M1819 Hall Rifle 2013[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State Symbols". West Virginia's State Treasurer's Office. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Wrap-up: The Newsletter of the West Virginia Legislature" (PDF). Vol. XVIII, no. 7. West Virginia Legislature. February 28, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State Symbols". West Virginia Legislature. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 28". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Ward, Ken (June 3, 2009). "Coal: West Virginia's official rock". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Monongahela -- West Virginia State Soil" (PDF). US Department of Agriculture (FTP). Retrieved July 18, 2012. (To view documents see Help:FTP)
  7. ^ [1] Archived March 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Departmental, Statistical & General Information" (PDF). wvlegislature. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  9. ^ "House Concurrent Resolution No. 29 (2008)". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  10. ^ "Did you know: WV has an official state firearm (2022)". WVNS 59 News. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
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