Peter Simmons (1856 - 1957) was a blacksmith and the mentor to Phillip Simmons, the famous African American blacksmith who was commissioned to forge beautiful ornamental ironwork that graces the driveways, balconies and garden entrances in downtown Charleston and throughout the Lowcountry. It is estimated that a full 60% of surving ornamental iron work in Charleston is attributed to him over his 65 year career, But many ofd those attributions are incorrect, as they are the work of his mentor, Peter Simmons, whose commissions, up to now, have been unhdocumented. .
I am a
believer that when it comes to history, the absence of evidence is not necessarily
the evidence of absence. Consider that gentlemen in the Age of Letters
oftentimes instructed estate executors to burn their correspondence. The idea
that a google search will provide the definitive answer –end of discussion—is a
flawed approach. I contend that just because it can be found on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s the last
word, or the only word, on a topic..
To
paraphrase Paul Harvey, there’s always the rest of the story.
Such is the
story of Peter Simmons. As many of you know, Peter Simmons was mentor for
famous Charleston blacksmith Phillip Simmons. The literature tells us that
Phillip Simmons trained in his blacksmith shop at 37 Calhoun Street starting at
about age 13. One would think from the literature that Peter Simmons was
engaged in a utilitarian trade, fixing wagon wheels, spokes etcetera. There is
no mention that he took commissions for ornamental work.,
yet his apprentice Phillip Simmons is famous for his ornamental work. Ah, the
absence of evidence….
The idea
that Peter Simmons taught Phillip Simmons the magic of turning iron into
artwork is a logical conclusion. After all, was Phillip Simmons so innately
talented that he taught himself? Some would have you think so, but now the
evidence has emerged confirming speculation that he learned his ornamental
skills from his old mentor.
Here we have a gate, photo provided by Phillip Simmons to the Old Slave Mart Museum, ornamental ironwork directly attributable to Peter Simmons.
The Old Slave Mart Collection, gathered and curated by Miriam Wilson in the first part of the 20th century, included ornamental wrought iron donated by Phillip Simmons in 1967. In the 1980s the collection sold for $12,000 to a black gentleman in Walterboro who sold off a substantial parts of the collection at auction, including Peter Simmon’s ironwork, in 2018. I went to the auction to document his work, and attached are those photographs. Peter Simmon’s ironwork was purchased by the Smithsonian Museum.
