The Puritan State. The Pilgrim State.

In 1621, the first Thanksgiving was held. "The Old Colony State" This is a reference to the years 1620-1628 when the English endeavour of early settlements of the Plymouth Colony happened. The U.S. Mint's bicentennial commemorative quarter representing Massachusetts features a minuteman (Colonial militia during the American Revolutionary War), an outline map of the state, the most familiar nickname for Massachusetts ("The Bay State"), and the date Massachusetts became the 6th state; 1788 (public domain image on Wikipedia). All State Quarters Massachusetts Nicknames. "The Bay State" or "The Old Bay State" This Massachusetts state nickname is a reference to the early settlements of the Cape Cod Bay - the location where the English pilgrims debarked from their historic 65 days trip overseas. The Massachusetts state nickname isn’t just “The Bay State”, there are several nicknames associated with Massachusetts. Massachusetts got its nickname by having a lot of bays in the area and its a state, that's, how Massachusetts got its nickname. State” refers to the importance of mining in Montana. The name is derived from the nickname for the University of Nebraska athletic teams – the “Cornhuskers The Pilgrims set up a government in Massachusetts with the "Mayflower Compact." Nebraska The 1945 Legislature changed the official state name to the “Cornhusker State”. source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer. Massachusetts is a commonwealth, and is usually known as the Bay State, a nickname that goes right back to its early settlers in 1789.. She is also occasionally referred to as the Old Colony State, the Puritan State, and the Baked Bean State. This nickname references the settlement of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts and the establishment of the Plymouth Colony. Massachusetts got its nickname by having a lot of bays in the area and its a state, that's, how Massachusetts got its nickname.