Massachusetts |
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| Entered the Union: February 6, 1788 (6) | Capital: Boston | |
| State Nicknames: Bay State • Old Colony State • Puritan State • Baked Bean State | ||
| Origin of Name: From Massachusett Indian tribe meaning "a large hill place" | ||
| State Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty) | ||
| State Flower: Mayflower | State Tree: American Elm | |
| State Dog: Boston Terrier | State Bird: Chickadee | |
| State Dessert: Boston Cream Pie | State Horse: Morgan | |
| State Song: "All Hail to Massachusetts" | ||
| National Parks: 20 • State Forests: 34 • State Parks: 48 | ||
| Famous For: Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island, Boston Symphony, Berklee College of Music, Harvard University | ||
| Famous Bay Staters: John Adams • John Quincy Adams • John F. Kennedy • George H.W. Bush (Presidents), Samuel Adams (patriot), Susan B. Anthony • Lucy Stone (women suffragists), Clara Barton (American Red Cross founder), E.E. Cummings • Emily Dickinson • Ralph Waldo Emerson (poets), Bette Davis (actress), Benjamin Franklin (statesman, scientist), John Hancock (statesman), Cotton Mather (clergyman), Sharon Christa McAuliffe (teacher, astronaut), Jo Dee Messina (singer), Samuel Morse (painter, inventor), Paul Revere (silversmith, Revolutionary War figure), Norman Rockwell (artist), Dr. Seuss "Theodore Geisel" (author, illustrator), Nathaniel Hawthorne • Edgar Allan Poe • Henry David Thoreau (authors), Barbara Walters (TV commentator), Eli Whitney (inventor) | ||
| Native Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birds on this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make. | ||
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| Englishman John Cabot sighted the coast of Massachusetts in 1498. In 1605, Samuel de Champlain charted maps of the New England coastline. John Smith sailed up the coast of Massachusetts in 1614. Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. | |||||||||||||
| The Pilgrims suffered greatly their first winter and about half the settlers died. The following year, the Indians taught them how to plant corn and beans. When winter came they had enough food, and better shelter. The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 and gave thanks to God for delivering them from hardship. | |||||||||||||
| As one of the most important of the 13 colonies, Massachusetts became a leader in resisting British oppression. In 1773, the Boston Tea Party protested unjust taxation. The Minute Men started the American Revolution by battling British troops at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. | |||||||||||||
| Boston Common became the first public park in 1634. Boston Latin School became the first secondary school in 1635. Harvard, the first college, was founded in 1636. The first post office, free public school and public library were all founded in Boston. The first newspaper, lighthouse, and subway were all started in Boston. The sewing machine was also invented in Boston in 1845. | |||||||||||||
| James Naismith invented basketball in Springfield in 1891. He wanted an indoor sport for his PE students during the winter months. William Morgan invented volleyball in Holyoke in 1895. | |||||||||||||
| Quincy is home to the first Dunkin Donuts and the first Howard Johnson Motel. | |||||||||||||
| Massachusetts' cranberry crop is the nation's second-largest (after Wisconsin). | |||||||||||||
At a Glance
Massachusetts Quick Facts
| Entered the Union | February 6, 1788 (6) |
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| Capital | Boston |
| Nickname | Bay State • Old Colony State • Puritan State • Baked Bean State |
| State Bird | Chickadee |
| State Flower | Mayflower |
| State Tree | American Elm |
New for 2026
More Massachusetts Facts & Photos
Massachusetts named Podokesaurus holyokensis its state dinosaur in 2022 after a public vote drew 35,000 ballots. Mount Holyoke professor Mignon Talbot, the first woman to name and describe a dinosaur, discovered the small speedster in 1910.
USS Constitution, launched in Boston in 1797 and nicknamed Old Ironsides in the War of 1812, is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. She is berthed at the Charlestown Navy Yard.
In the mid-1800s New Bedford sent out more whaling voyages than any port on Earth and ranked among the richest cities in the world. A national historical park has preserved its waterfront district since 1996.
To create the Quabbin Reservoir, the main water supply for metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts disincorporated four towns in 1938 and flooded the Swift River Valley. The reservoir holds 412 billion gallons.
Fenway Park opened on April 20, 1912, and is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. Its 37-foot left-field wall is known as the Green Monster.
Voices of America
In Their Own Words
"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
"There are three points of doctrine the belief of which forms the foundation of all morality. The first is the existence of God; the second is the immortality of the human soul; and the third is a future state of rewards and punishments."
"Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants."
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: 'It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."
July 4, 1821
Last updated: July 2026