Kentucky
"The Bluegrass State," home of racehorses and a song of home. A racehorse behind a fence is engraved on it.
Kentucky is a state located in the east-central United States, famous for its broad meadows and ranches. In spring the grasslands here are said to take on a faint bluish hue, and so its nickname became “The Bluegrass State.” In the 50 State Quarters series, it was issued as the fifteenth coin.
On the coin’s reverse is drawn a Thoroughbred racehorse standing behind a fence. Beside it is depicted the mansion “Federal Hill” in Bardstown. The beautiful horse and the old-fashioned mansion come together to show the charm of Kentucky, renowned for its ranches and horse racing.
The phrase written below is “My Old Kentucky Home.” This is the title of a famous song symbolizing Kentucky, carrying the heart of longing for one’s hometown. The mansion in the picture and the song’s words come together to convey as well the sentiment of “home” that this state cherishes.
Kentucky joined the Union on June 1, 1792, becoming, in order, the fifteenth state. It is one of the states that joined relatively early from outside the original thirteen.
Gazing at the racehorse and mansion on the coin, both the horse running across the meadow and the heart that sings of home come to mind together, letting us meet at once the two identities that Kentucky takes pride in.