MARYLAND SPORT. By Chapter 134, Acts of
1962, the age-old equestrian sport of jousting was
proclaimed as the official sport of the State of
Maryland (Code 1957, Art. 41, sec. 79A).

STATE INSECT. The Baltimore Checkerspot
Butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton) was declared to be
the official arthropodic emblem of the State of
Maryland by Chapter 253, Acts of 1973 (Code
1957, Art. 41, sec. 77C).

MARYLAND'S NICKNAMES. Although Mary-
land's nicknames are not official State symbols,
the State is known as both the Old Line State
and the Free State.

According to some historians. Gen. George
Washington bestowed the appellation Old Line
State on Maryland because of the magnificent per-
formance of regular troops of the line in several of
the more important engagements in the Revolu-
tionary War. The troops of the Maryland Line
ranked among the finest in the Continental Army.

The nickname "Free State" is of twentieth-cen-
tury origin. It was created by Hamilton Owens,

editor of the Baltimore Sun. Sometime in 1923,
Congressman William D. Upshaw of Georgia, a
firm supporter of Prohibition, denounced Mary-
land as a traitor to the Union because it had re-
fused to pass a State enforcement act. Mr. Ow-
ens thereupon wrote a mock-serious editorial
entitled "The Maryland Free State," arguing
that Maryland should secede from the Union.
The irony in the editorial was subtle, and on
second thought Mr. Owens decided not to print
it. The idea stuck in his mind, however, and he
later used it in other editorials. The nickname
caught on quickly, and today the term "Free
State" is heard almost as frequently as "Old
Line State."