Philip Simmons Gate
Charleston’s most celebrated master blacksmith, Philip Simmons, brings to his craft an eye for detail and an imagination well-seasoned during his 85 years in the Lowcountry.
With a rhythm all his own, Simmons hammers out designs inspired by the natural world around him – the palmetto tree, the ocean waves, the egret. His wrought-iron work can be seen all over Charleston, at the Smithsonian Institution and here at the South Carolina State Museum.
This full-size driveway gate was commissioned from the artist in 1985. A video program about Simmons rounds out the interpretation of this folk art from the museum’s permanent collection.