Charleston blacksmith Philip Simmons dies at age 97

The following is a news release from the Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce that Philip Simmons, America’s Premier Blacksmith, died at 9pm on June 22, 2009 at Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community. Philip moved to Bishop Gadsden in the spring of 2008 and had lived comfortably surrounded by a caring nursing staff and many friends and family. Philip died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his daughter Lillian and family. He was 97.

Born on June 9, 1912 on Daniel Island, South Carolina, Philip was reared by his grandparents. At age 8, he was sent to Charleston (via ferry), to live with his mother on Vernon Street and enrolled in the first class at Buist Elementary School (now, Buist Academy). While walking to and from school, young Philip noticed the ironwork and became intrigued with it. The neighborhood was a Mecca for craftsmen who serviced the waterfront businesses. He began visiting the blacksmith shops, pipefitters, shipwrights, coppers, and other craftsmen in the area. However, the sounds of the blacksmith shops interested him the most.
Philip Simmons apprenticed under blacksmith Peter Simmons (no relation), who ran a busy shop at the foot of Calhoun Street. Here, Philip Simmons acquired the values and refined the talents that would sustain him throughout his long metalworking career.

Moving into the specialized fields of ornamental iron in 1938, Simmons fashioned more than five hundred decorative pieces of ornamental wrought iron gates, fences, balconies, and window grills. The City of Charleston, from end to end, is truly decorated by his hand.

In 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded him its National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor that the United States can bestow on a traditional artist. This recognition was followed by a similar award from the South Carolina State Legislature. Simmons was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach, SC on January 31, 1994. The "Order of the Palmetto" the highest award given in the state, was presented to him by Governor David Beasley in 1998. In May of 2001, Philip Simmons received the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Arts."

Pieces of his work have been acquired as well by the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture (under construction), the Smithsonian Institution; the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM, and the South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC. In 1989, the vestry and congregation of his church (St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church, 91 Anson Street in downtown Charleston), dedicated the grounds of the church to develop a commemorative landscaped garden as a tribute to his exceptional mastery of wrought iron and in recognition of his inspirational character and self assurance.

Philip is survived by Lillian Gilliam, daughter; Philip Simmons, Jr., son; Rebecca Comings, sister; 16 grandchildren, and many great and great, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be scheduled. Memorial donations may be sent to the Philip Simmons Foundation, Inc. at P. O. Box 21585, Charleston, SC 29413-1585, or the Philip Simmons Home and Workshop Fund, Coastal Community Foundation at 90 Mary St., Charleston, SC 29403.

To help the Philip Simmons Foundation, head to their website.