1 Alabama Authorities differ on the reason why Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State. The term originated during the Civil War as a reference to soldiers from the state serving the Confederacy. Either because the state confederate troops stuck yellowhammer feathers in their caps or because their uniforms, which had been home-dry gray had a yellowish tinge. Some other nicknames were the Cotton Plantation State, the Camellia State, and the Lizard State. The Heart of Dixie is a more recent designation for Alabama. Its nickname is the Land of the Midnight Sun and America's Last Frontier. It was once labeled "Seward's folly" and "Seward's icebox" in ridicule of the