Some Information to start you off with :)

State Flower:

Goldenrod

A native plant of Kentucky, the golden fronds of this wildflower are abundant throughout the state in early autumn, bringing a yellow " fringe" to Kentucky's highways and country roads. Of the 100 species of this plant, 30 are found in Kentucky.



State Bird:


Cardinal

The pleasant melodies of this red-crested songbird are heard year-round in Kentucky, while the male's brilliant red plumage brightens Kentucky woods with splashes of crimson. (The female is light brown with red highlights.)



State Tree:


Kentucky Coffee Tree or Tulip Tree

The State Tree used to be the Kentucky Coffee Tree until the state's Bicentennial in 1992 when they changed it to the Tulip tree or Tulip Poplar tree. We were told by a Kentucky historian that the State Tree was originally the Tulip tree and changed to the Coffee tree in the late 1800s. During the Bicentennial it was decided to change it back. But if you ask a Kentuckian what their State Tree is, they still say the "Coffee Tree."



State Flag:

The two people shaking hands ties in with the state motto "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." The state flower, goldenrod is also on the flag. Kentucky is one of four states that refers to itself as a commonwealth rather than a state. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are the others.



Famous Person:

Zachary Taylor

"For more than half a century... this Union has stood unshaken.... Whatever dangers may threaten it, I shall stand by it and maintain it... "

Message to Congress 1849

Although he was born in Virginia in 1784, he was immediately whisked off to Kentucky to join his father who had just purchased 10,000 acres of land in Louisville. Second cousin to James Madison, Taylor got into politics via a different route than the Virginia statesman: he battled his way to the White House. He was a tough, no-nonsense military man. Having begun his army career in the War of 1812 as a young, 24-year old lieutenant, he served in almost every war and battle for the next 40 years, rising to national hero when he consistently beat the Mexicans in 1846. "Old Rough and Ready" was a tobacco-chewing army General with no formal education and no political experience. In fact, he had never even voted in an election. Yet he believed in the country he had defended for so many years. When southern congressmen threatened trouble if California was admitted as a free state, President Taylor, a slave owner himself, warned that he would "lead the army against them" and they would be "hanged for treason." Taylor bravely took a strong stand on an issue his predecessors tried so desperately to avoid. He died in office after serving only one year.

Virtual Field Trips:
State of Kentucky Government Site
http://kentucky.gov/

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
http://www.bernheim.org/

Mammoth Cave National Park
http://www.nps.gov/maca/home.htm

Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer
http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/kentucky.html

Kentucky's Underground Railroad
http://www.ket.org/underground/

Kentucky was the 15th state in the USA; it became a state on June 1, 1792.
State Abbreviation - KY
State Capital - Frankfort
Largest City - Louisville
Area - 40,411 square miles [Kentucky is the 37th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 4,041,769 (as of 2000) [Kentucky is the 25th most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - Kentuckians
Major Industries - agriculture (tobacco, corn, peanuts, wheat), mining (anthracite coal), horse-raising, whiskey manufacturing, automobile and truck manufacturing, chemical manufacturing

Presidential Birthplace - Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County (now called Larue County) on February 12, 1809 (he was the 16th US President, serving from 1861 to 1865).

Major Rivers - Ohio River, Mississippi River, Cumberland River, Kentucky River, Green River
Major Lakes - Lake Cumberland, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley
Highest Point - Black Mountain - 4,145 feet (1,263 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia


Origin of the Name Kentucky - Kentucky is from the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," which means "land of tomorrow."
State Nickname - Bluegrass State
State Motto - "United we stand, divided we fall "
State Song - My Old Kentucky Home, by Stephen Foster

Famous For: Wilderness Trail, Daniel Boone National Forest, Cumberland Falls, Red River Gorge, Bluegrass, Horses, Fort Knox, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Coal, Kentucky Bourbon