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2017 SESSION


CHAPTER 576
An Act to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; George Washington's rye whiskey; state spirit.
[S 1261]
Approved March 16, 2017

 

Whereas, George Washington was a native son of Virginia born on February 22, 1732, in Pope's Creek, Virginia; and

Whereas, George Washington was the first American president, commander of the Continental Army, and president of the Constitutional Convention; and

Whereas, George Washington served as a model statesman and is universally acknowledged as the father of our nation; and

Whereas, another aspect of George Washington's life was his business activities as a gentleman planter; and

Whereas, from his home at Mount Vernon, which was also a working farming operation, George Washington participated in many business ventures; and

Whereas, George Washington's venture into the rye whiskey business began at the urging of his farm manager, James Anderson, who had been involved in the distilling industry in Scotland before immigrating to America in the early 1790s; and

Whereas, James Anderson was convinced that a distilling business would complement Mount Vernon's other economic ventures, and George Washington agreed; and

Whereas, initially George Washington proceeded cautiously, allowing James Anderson to purchase two stills and set up a small operation in the cooperage next to the gristmill located at the property in early 1797; and

Whereas, this first endeavor produced 600 gallons of rye whiskey; and

Whereas, two years later, in 1799, the year of George Washington's death, his distillery produced nearly 11,000 gallons, making it the largest whiskey distillery in America at the time; and

Whereas, it is fitting to acknowledge yet another accomplishment of this son of Virginia and father of the nation whose efforts produced a spirit that embodies the spirit of Virginia; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 1-510. Official emblems and designations.

The following are hereby designated official emblems and designations of the Commonwealth:

Artisan Center -- "Virginia Artisans Center," located in the City of Waynesboro.

Bat -- Virginia Big-eared bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus).

Beverage -- Milk.

Bird -- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

Blue Ridge Folklore State Center -- Blue Ridge Institute located in the village of Ferrum.

Boat -- "Chesapeake Bay Deadrise."

Cabin Capital of Virginia -- Page County.

Coal Miners' Memorial -- The Richlands Coal Miners' Memorial located in Tazewell County.

Covered Bridge Capital of the Commonwealth -- Patrick County.

Covered Bridge Festival -- Virginia Covered Bridge Festival held in Patrick County.

Dog -- American Foxhound.

Fish (Freshwater) -- Brook Trout.

Fish (Saltwater) -- Striped Bass.

Fleet -- Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.

Flower -- American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

Folk dance -- Square dancing, the American folk dance that traces its ancestry to the English Country Dance and the French Ballroom Dance, and is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers, and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, the Virginia Reel, and heritage dances.

Fossil -- Chesapecten jeffersonius.

Gold mining interpretive center -- Monroe Park, located in the County of Fauquier.

Insect -- Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus Linne).

Maple Festival -- The Highland County Maple Festival.

Motor sports museum -- "Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame," located in Patrick County.

Outdoor drama -- "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama," adapted for the stage by Clara Lou Kelly and performed in the Town of Big Stone Gap.

Outdoor drama, historical -- "The Long Way Home" based on the life of Mary Draper Ingles, adapted for the stage by Earl Hobson Smith, and performed in the City of Radford.

Rock -- Nelsonite.

Shakespeare festival -- The Virginia Shakespeare Festival held in the City of Williamsburg.

Shell -- Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica).

Snake -- Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis).

Song emeritus -- "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," by James A. Bland, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940.

Song (Popular) -- "Sweet Virginia Breeze," by Robbin Thompson and Steve Bassett.

Song (Traditional) -- "Our Great Virginia," lyrics by Mike Greenly and arranged by Jim Papoulis with music from the original American folk song "Oh Shenandoah."

Spirit -- George Washington's rye whiskey produced at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Sports hall of fame -- "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," located in the City of Portsmouth.

Tree -- American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

War memorial museum -- "Virginia War Museum," (formerly known as the War Memorial Museum of Virginia), located in the City of Newport News.