If you like modern architecture as much as we do, this building in South Carolina should be on your “must visit” list. What and where is it? Send your guess to feedback@statehousereport.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Nov. 30 mystery, “Tell us more about this photo,” was pretty easy, some people told us. That’s fine – sometimes they need to be on the easier side just to encourage entries!
Congratulations to those who identified the metal egret figure as part of blacksmith Philip Simmons’ Egret Gate on St. Michael’s Alley in Charleston: Barry Wingard of Florence; Jay Altman of Columbia; Addison Ingle of Charleston; Dale Rhodes of Richmond, Va.; Philip Cromer of Beaufort; Lexie Chatham of West Columbia; Tray Hunter of Bluffton; Wayne Beam of North Myrtle Beach; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; David Lupo of Mount Pleasant; Dwight McInvaill of Pawleys Island; and Faith Line of Anderson.
Chatham added, “This gorgeous iron gate is the work of Lowcountry blacksmith Philip Simmons. One of my greatest regrets is not interviewing him before his death in 2009. You can see an example of his work at this the S.C. State Museum.”
McInvaill also noted: “Mr. Simmons received the following honors: a National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA (1982), SC Hall of Fame Award (1994), and the Order of the Palmetto (1998). The scholar John Michael Vlach also wrote an excellent book on him.”
Graf added some context: “Simmons was an American artisan and blacksmith specializing in the craft of ironwork. Simmons spent 78 years as a blacksmith, focusing on decorative iron work. When he began his career, blacksmiths in Charleston made practical, everyday household objects, such as horseshoes. By the time he retired 77 years later, the craft was considered an art form rather than a practical profession.
Examples of Simmons’ work, including iron gates, can be seen throughout the city of Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the rest of South Carolina Lowcountry. His pieces are displayed at the Smithsonian Museum, South Carolina State Museum, and even Paris, France, and China.” For more on Simmons and his life, check out his entry in the S.C. Encyclopedia (below).
Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!