Tennessee - The River State - That's What They Called It in 1889

 

The words "Tennessee" and "Volunteers" have been in the news – at least the sports news – so much lately that it may be hard to believe that Tennessee wasn’t always synonymous with Volunteer.

How do I know? I stumbled across these two old newspaper clippings recently about state nicknames.

Would you believe that in 1889 Tennessee was known as “The River State?”

That’s according to the Charlotte Democrat of May 10, 1889:

 

State Nicknames

Several of the States have two or more popular names. Connecticut, for instance, is known as "the Nutmeg State,” and also as "the Land of Steady Habits." The four States provisionally admitted February 22, 1889, have not as yet been popularly christened. Besides these New Jersey and Alabama have not symbolic names that are well-known throughout the country.

But others do:

Maine, the “Pine Tree State"

New Hampshire, the “Granite State"

Vermont the "Green Mountain State"

Massachusetts, the “Bay State"

Rhode Island, "Little Rhody"

Connecticut, the “Nutmeg State"

New York, the “Empire State"

New Jersey, no nickname

Pennsylvania, the "Keystone State"

Delaware, the "Diamond State"

Maryland, "My Maryland"

Virginia, "Old Dominion"

West Virginia, “New Dominion”

North Carolina, "Tar Heel State"

South Carolina, the “Palmetto State”

Georgia, the “Empire State of the South”

Florida, the “Land of Flowers"

Alabama, no nickname

Mississippi, the “Bayou State”

Louisiana, the “Creole State”

Texas, the “Lone Star State”

Arkansas, the “Bear State”

Tennessee, the “River State”

Kentucky, the “Corn-cracker State”

Ohio, the “Buckeye State”

Indiana, the “Hoosier State”

Illinois, the “Prairie State”

Michigan, the “Lake State”

Wisconsin, the “Badger State”

Minnesota, the “Gopher State”

Iowa, the “Hawkeye State”

Missouri, the “Iron State”

North Dakota, no nickname

South Dakota, no nickname

Nebraska, the “Lincoln State”

Kansas, the “Garden of the West”

Colorado, the “Centennial State”

Montana, no nickname

Washington, no nickname

Oregon, the “Beaver State”

California, "the Gold Land”

Nevada, the “Silver State”

 

 

1889 must have been a big year for newspaper stories about state nicknames.

Three months after the above story, the Nashville Daily American ran this story about what the folks from each state are called:

Everybody knows that the people of Iowa are called “Hawkeyes,” those of Ohio “Buckeyes,” but how many college professors can give the nicknames of the residents of the Several states? Not one in a hundred are equal to the task. They are as follows:

Alabama: Lizards

Arkansas: Toothpicks

California: Gold Hunters

Colorado: Rovers

Connecticut: Wooden Nutmegs

Delaware: Muskrats

Florida: Fly-Up-The-Creeks

Georgia: Buzzards

Illinois: Suckers

Indiana: Hoosiers

Iowa: Hawkeyes

Kansas: Jayhawkers

Kentucky: Corn-crackers

Louisiana: Creoles

Maine: Foxes

Maryland: Crawthumpers

Michigan: Wolverines

Minnesota: Gophers

Mississippi: Tadpoles

Missouri: Pukes

Nebraska: Bug Eaters

Nevada: Sage Hens

New Hampshire: Granite Boys

New Jersey: Blues or Clam Catchers

New York: Knickerbockers

North Carolina: Tar Heels

Ohio: Buckeyes

Oregon: Web Feet

Pennsylvania: Pennenites or Leatherheads

Rhode Island: Gun Flints

South Carolina: Weasels

Tennessee: Whelps

Texas: Beet Heads

Vermont: Green Mountain Boys

Virginia.: Beetles

Wisconsin: Badgers.

 Kingsport Times-News Feb. 23, 1964

Sub Debs Have Annual Dance

The Sub Debs and their guests danced to the music of the King Bees at Echo Valley Country Club recently. Vicki Hurd was dance chairman, and the dance theme was "This Young World.’

Preceding the dance, members and their dates were dinner guests at the home of Lynn Peters, Linville Street.

Members and their escorts were: Alice Alexander, president, with Jack Wolff; Margie Maiden, vice president, with Nick Showalter; Carolyn Crumley, corresponding secretary, with Johnny Glass; Sally Powers, recording secretary, with Tom McDonald; Lindy Meridith, treasurer, with Mike Eanes; Hester Gannaway, sergeant-at-arms, with Tom Murrell. Vicki Hurd with Mike McLean; Patsy Matthews with Dick Harville; Frances Miller with John Blackburn; Patti Ledford with David Jordan; Becky Beals with Buddy Brockman; Elaine Wiggins with John Stone; Joanna Smith with Butch Saylor; Donna Davis with Joe King; Linda Robbins with Lonnie Cole; Lynn Peters with Pete Ainslie; Paula Bennett with Jimmy Barker; Kay Miller with Tom Sivert; Nancy Earnhardt with Steve Harrison; and Wendy Jenkins with Bill Henderson. Following the dance, breakfast was served at the home of Alice Alexander, Preston Woods.

The Sub Debs were one of three girls' social clubs in the fifties and sixties, maybe earlier, maybe later, too.

The other two clubs were The Devilish Debs and The Queen Teens. 

Each sponsored an annual formal dance.