23 Facts About Philip Simmons

Philip Simmons was an American artisan and blacksmith specializing in the craft of ironwork.

Examples of Philip Simmons' work, including iron gates, can be seen throughout the city of Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the rest of South Carolina Lowcountry.

Philip Simmons's pieces are displayed at the Smithsonian Museum, South Carolina State Museum, Paris, France, and China.

Philip Simmons was born on June 9,1912, in Daniel Island, South Carolina.

Philip Simmons was raised by his grandparents, before being sent to Charleston in 1920 to live with his mother when he was 8 years old.

Philip Simmons resided on Vernon Street and enrolled in school at the Buist Elementary School, which is known as the Buist Academy.

Philip Simmons became interested in the craftspeople who lived in his neighborhood, and soon began visiting various workshops near his home.

In particular, Simmons became interested in a smithy on Charlotte Street run by Peter Simmons, who was not related to Philip.

Philip Simmons soon quit school and began an apprenticeship with Peter Simmons, a former slave, when he was 13 years old.

Philip Simmons became a full blacksmith when he was 18 years old, after a five-year apprenticeship.

Philip Simmons began working with ornamental and decorative ironwork in 1938 at his own blacksmith shop.

However, Philip Simmons had to create the gate out of scrap iron because the demand for iron during World War II made it impossible to acquire new iron.

For example, Philip Simmons forged and designed five iron gates along Stolls Alley in Charleston alone.

Philip Simmons created smaller, metal objects to supplement his income, including tools, shutter dog and fireplace pokers.

In 1970, Philip Simmons created a cup holder for a Volvo, which was crafted from a coat hanger.

In 2004, a gate designed by Philip Simmons and executed by artisans he taught received a commemorative plaque from the General Services Administration's Art in Architecture Program.

In 2006, Philip Simmons received an honorary doctorate from South Carolina State University for his contributions to the field of metalworking.

Philip Simmons moved from his home to the Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community in Charleston in the spring of 2008.

Philip Simmons died there on June 22,2009, at 9 PM at the age of 97.

Philip Simmons was a recipient of a 1982 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Philip Simmons was later awarded the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Arts" in May 2001.

Philip Simmons was honored by the South Carolina Legislature for his work.

Berkeley County School District honored Philip Simmons by naming three public schools located on Daniel Island, his birthplace, after the artist and educator.