State Boundaries, Holidays, and State Emblems

Miss. Code Ann. tit. 3, ch. 3
in effect

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-1 Limits and boundaries of the territorial waters of the State of Mississippi.

The limits and boundaries of the territorial waters of the State of Mississippi shall consist of all territory included within the boundaries described in the act of Congress of March 1, 1817, together with all territory ceded to the State of Mississippi by later acts of Congress or by compacts or agreements with other states, as such territory and boundaries may have been or may be modified by the United States Supreme Court which extends three (3) miles of Cat Island, Ship Island, Horn Island and Petit Bois Island off shore to three (3) Marine Leagues.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-3 How state divided into counties.

The State of Mississippi is divided into the following counties, to wit: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, De Soto, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Walthall, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wilkinson, Winston, Yalobusha, and Yazoo, which are bounded as described in Chapter 1 of Title 19 of this Code.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-5 How far counties on Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico extend.

The counties lying immediately on the Mississippi River shall, respectively, have and possess jurisdiction and extend to the western boundary of the state, within the space embraced, by extending their boundary lines which strike the river, on a continuous direct course to the extreme boundary of the state, including all islands that may be within the limits just defined; and the counties bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, to wit: Jackson, Harrison and Hancock, shall, respectively, have and possess jurisdiction and extend to the southern boundary of the state within the space embraced by extending their boundary lines which strike the Gulf of Mexico, or the inlets thereto, on a continuous direct course to the southern boundary of the state, including all islands that may lie within the limits thus defined.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-7 Legal holidays.

Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, the following are declared to be legal holidays, viz: the first day of January (New Year’s Day); the third Monday of January (Robert E. Lee’s birthday and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday); the third Monday of February (Washington’s birthday); the last Monday of April (Confederate Memorial Day); the last Monday of May (National Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis’ birthday); the fourth day of July (Independence Day); the first Monday of September (Labor Day); the eleventh day of November (Armistice or Veterans’ Day); the day fixed by proclamation by the Governor of Mississippi as a day of Thanksgiving, which shall be fixed to correspond to the date proclaimed by the President of the United States (Thanksgiving Day); and the twenty-fifth day of December (Christmas Day). In the event any holiday hereinbefore declared legal shall fall on Sunday, then the next following day shall be a legal holiday. In lieu of any one (1) legal holiday provided for in subsection (1) of this section, with the exception of the third Monday in January (Robert E. Lee’s and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday) and the eleventh day of November (Armistice or Veterans Day), the governing authorities of any municipality or county may declare, by order spread upon its minutes, Mardi Gras Day or any one (1) other day during the year, to be a legal holiday. August 16 is declared to be Elvis Aaron Presley Day in recognition and appreciation of Elvis Aaron Presley’s many contributions, international recognition and the rich legacy left to us by Elvis Aaron Presley. This day shall be a day of recognition and observation and shall not be recognized as a legal holiday. May 8 is declared to be Hernando de Soto Day in recognition, observation and commemoration of Hernando de Soto, who led the first and most imposing expedition ever made by Europeans into the wilds of North America and the State of Mississippi, and in further recognition of the Spanish explorer’s 187-day journey from the Tombigbee River basin on our state’s eastern boundary, westward to the place of discovery of the Mississippi River on May 8, 1541. This day shall be a day of commemoration, recognition and observation of Hernando de Soto and European exploration and shall not be recognized as a legal holiday. Armistice Day (Veterans Day) shall be observed by appropriate exercises in all the public schools in the State of Mississippi. The superintendent of schools of each public school district is authorized to provide for the appearance of uniformed military personnel, uniformed veterans or the families of fallen military personnel/veterans at such public school exercises in honor of Armistice (Veterans) Day. The superintendent of schools is also authorized to permit the school band and its director(s) at any public school in the district to perform at Armistice (Veterans) Day exercises in the school district upon the request of public officials or veterans associations without loss of any program credit by participating students and without loss of leave by participating school personnel.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-8 Designation of first week in May as Hernando de Soto Week.

The first week in May of each year is declared to be Hernando de Soto Week in Mississippi in recognition, observation and commemoration of Hernando de Soto who led the first and most imposing expedition ever made by Europeans into the wilds of North America and the State of Mississippi, and in further recognition of the Spanish explorer’s 187-day journey from the Tombigbee River basin on our state’s eastern boundary, westward to the place of discovery of the Mississippi River on May 8, 1541. This week shall be a week of recognition, observation and commemoration of Hernando de Soto and European exploration and no day of this week shall be recognized as a legal holiday.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-9 State tree.

The magnolia or evergreen magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.) is herewith designated as the state tree of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-11 State bird.

The bird commonly called the mocking bird is hereby designated the state bird of the State of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-13 State flower.

The flower or bloom of the magnolia or evergreen magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.) is hereby designated as the state flower of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-15 Display of state flag.

The state flag may be displayed from all public buildings from sunrise to sunset; however, the state flag may be displayed from all public buildings twenty-four (24) hours a day if properly illuminated. The state flag should not be displayed when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed. The state flag shall receive all of the respect and ceremonious etiquette given the American flag. Provided, however, nothing in this section shall be construed so as to affect the precedence given to the flag of the United States of America.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-15.1 1. Display of POW/MIA flag.

The Legislature enacts this section as the symbol of the nation’s and the state’s commitment to achieving the fullest possible accounting for Mississippians who have been or in the future may become prisoners of war, missing in action or otherwise unaccounted for as a result of hostile action. As used in this section, the term “POW/MIA Flag” means the National League of Families POW/MIA Flag recognized officially and designated by Section 2 of Public Law 101-355 (36 USCS Section 189). The Bureau of Capitol Facilities shall display the POW/MIA Flag in a prominent place at the New Capitol Building on the following days: Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May; Memorial Day, the last Monday in May; Flag Day, June 14; Independence Day, July 4; National POW/MIA Recognition Day; and Veterans Day, November 11. Such display shall serve as the symbol of the nation’s and the state’s concern and commitment to achieving the fullest possible accounting of Americans and Mississippians who, having been prisoners of war or missing in action, still remain unaccounted for. This section shall not be construed or applied so as to either require or prohibit the display of the POW/MIA Flag by any county, municipality or public school district in Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-16 Design of state flag.

The official flag of the State of Mississippi shall have the following design: with width two-thirds (2/3) of its length; with the union (canton) to be square, in width two-thirds (2/3) of the width of the flag; the ground of the union to be red and a broad blue saltire thereon, bordered with white and emblazoned with thirteen (13) mullets or five-pointed stars, corresponding with the number of the original States of the Union; the field to be divided into three (3) bars of equal width, the upper one blue, the center one white, and the lower one, extending the whole length of the flag, red (the national colors); this being the flag adopted by the Mississippi Legislature in the 1894 Special Session.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-17 State land mammals.

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are designated the state land mammals of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-19 State water mammal.

The bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), commonly called the porpoise, is hereby designated the state water mammal of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-20 State reptile.

The American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) is hereby designated the State Reptile of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-21 State fish.

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is hereby designated the state fish of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-25 State waterfowl.

The wood duck (Aix sponsa) is hereby designated the state waterfowl of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-33 State butterfly.

The spicebush swallowtail (Pterourus troilus) is hereby designated the state butterfly of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-35 “Retired Teachers Day” designated.

The Sunday preceding Thanksgiving Day of each year is declared to be “Retired Teachers Day” in recognition and commemoration of the work of all retired educators who have devoted their careers to the mental and physical development of the youth of this state.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-37 State Grand Opera House.

The Grand Opera House of Meridian is designated the official State Grand Opera House of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-39 State dance.

The dance known as the square dance is hereby designated and adopted as the American folk dance of the State of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-41 Mississippi Coat of Arms.

The Mississippi Coat-of-Arms shall have the following design: a shield, blue in color, with an eagle upon it with extended pinions, holding in the right talon a palm branch and bundle of arrows in the left, with the word “Mississippi” above the eagle; the lettering on the shield and the eagle to be in gold; below the shield two (2) branches of the cotton stalk, saltier wise, and a scroll below extending upward and on each side three-fourths (3/4) of the length of the shield; upon the scroll, which is to be red, the motto to be printed in gold letters upon white spaces, the motto to be “Virtute et Armis”; this being the same Coat-of-Arms adopted by the Legislature in Chapter 37, Laws of the Extraordinary Session of 1894. The Governor of the State is authorized and empowered to procure a steel plate and one (1) metal electrotype plate for printing and engraving the Coat-of-Arms, which plates shall be preserved in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-42 The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to procure the official seal of this state as described in this section. The center of the seal shall have an eagle displayed proper, holding an olive branch in his dexter talon and a bundle of three (3) arrows in his sinister talon. The shield on the breast of the eagle shall have eleven (11) vertical stripes of alternating white and red, supporting a chief of blue with eleven (11) white five-pointed stars in two (2) rows with five (5) stars in each row and one (1) star centered over the third column. The margins dexter and sinister of the center point of the shield shall each have one (1) white five-pointed star. The margin over the eagle shall have the inscription “THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.” The margin under the eagle shall have the inscription “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The official seal need not be printed or otherwise displayed in color.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-42.1 1. Replacement of older version of state seal.

All state agencies shall continue to use stationery and other supplies having the great seal thereon as it existed before July 1, 2014, until such stationery and other supplies are depleted. The great seal as it existed before July 1, 2014, affixed on any public buildings, property or any other item shall remain thereon until the replacement of the seal due to normal wear or until replacement with any nonpublic funds.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-43 State toy.

The Teddy Bear is designated the state toy of Mississippi, in recognition of the Mississippi connection to the origin of the Teddy Bear. The connection is that on November 14, 1902, during a hunting expedition led by distinguished Mississippian Holt Collier in Smedes, Mississippi, President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a small, exhausted black bear. The shot not fired at a baby bear in the Mississippi Delta became a great credit to the heroic and sportsmanlike conduct of President Roosevelt, and because of the President’s journey to Mississippi, the stuffed bear toy was appropriately named the “Teddy Bear,” a positive symbol of love, comfort and joy for children of all ages.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-45 State soil.

Natchez silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic, Typic Eutrudepts) is hereby designated as the official state soil of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-47 State Automobile Museum.

The Tupelo Auto Museum, Inc., is designated as the state automobile museum.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-48 State wildlife heritage museum.

The Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum in Leland, Mississippi, is designated as the official state wildlife heritage museum.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-49 State Historical Industrial Museum.

The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Incorporated, is designated as the state historical industrial museum.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-51 “Nurses Month” designated.

The month of May of each year is designated as “Nurses Month” to promote and honor the hard work and dedication of nurses in the State of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-53 “Mississippi Health Awareness Day” designated.

The third Thursday of January of each year is designated as Mississippi Health Awareness Day to promote health and disease prevention efforts throughout the State of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-55 “Katrina Day of Remembrance” designated.

August 29 of each year is designated as “Katrina Day of Remembrance” in Mississippi in honor of the victims of this most destructive storm, to bring awareness of the destruction caused by hurricanes, and to call upon the citizens of Mississippi to join each other and the entire community that is linked by the Gulf of Mexico in a unified expression of faith and hope.

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-57 State military history museum.

The Mississippi Military Department’s Armed Forces Museum is hereby designated as Mississippi’s official state military history museum. The museum will henceforth be named “Mississippi Armed Forces Museum.”

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-59 “Mississippi Musicians Day” designated.

The third Tuesday of every March shall be declared and celebrated as “Mississippi Musicians Day.”

Miss. Code Ann. § 3-3-61 “Vietnam Veterans Day” designated.

In recognition of the service, courage and sacrifice of those valiant men and women of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam Conflict, March 29th of each year is designated as Vietnam Veterans Day in Mississippi.

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