• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEER
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE

James Simmons House

SC PICTURE PROJECT 1 Comment

SC Picture Project / Charleston County / James Simmons House

This pre-Revolutionary house in downtown Charleston has survived two wars. The lower Meeting Street home was built around 1760 for attorney James Simmons, originally as a traditional Georgian house with a central hallway flanked by two rooms on either side on each floor. Following Simmons’ death in 1775, the home was acquired by Robert Gibbes, a former Colonial governor. Gibbes and his family fled the property during the British occupation of the city in the Revolutionary War only to return after the war and find their home in shambles. As you can see below, its grandeur would be later restored.

James Simmons House

John Diskes of Summerville, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

In 1809 planter William Brisbane bought the home and owned it until the 1840s. Otis Mills, prominent builder and businessman as well as proprietor of the Mills House Hotel, purchased the property sometime between 1846 and 1848 and is thought to be responsible for adding the home’s signature double bays and cast-iron balcony.

Once again, the home came under occupation during wartime, this time in the Civil War. The estate was used as the headquarters of General Pierre G.T. Beauregard, commander of the Confederate forces in Charleston. General Beauregard remained here until August, 1863, when he relocated his headquarters to the north of the city. United States Congressman Michael P. O’Connor, who served in congress from 1879 through 1881, purchased the property in 1876. Prior to his congressional term, O’Connor sat in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1858 until 1866. During his tenure in the statehouse prior to the Civil War, he argued against secession.

In June of 2016 the James Simmons House sold for $7.51 million, the second-highest sale price of a residential property on the Charleston peninsula.

Plan Your Trip: James Simmons House

Where is James Simmons House located?
Address: 37 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC
GPS Coordinates: 32.772997,-79.930723
What else should I see?
William Mason Smith House 0.1 mile
Nathaniel Russell House 0.1 mile
First Scots Presbyterian 0.2 mile
Miles Brewton House 0.2 mile
Show me more like this!
  • Charleston Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Historic Houses
    James Simmons House Map

    Please Help Us Stay Online

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader’s contribution, larger or small, is valuable. If you have enjoyed this website or found it helpful, please pitch in. Each donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    You may also like

    You may also like

    Aiken Rhett House CharlestonAiken-Rhett House Miles Brewton House CharlestonMiles Brewton House James Nicholson HouseAshley Hall Simons Legare HouseSimmons-Edwards House William Aiken HouseWilliam Aiken House

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SCIWAY says

      October 26, 2015 at 9:12 AM

      The street address is located at the bottom of the page.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Why This Site Matters

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s landmarks for future readers. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    Recent Posts

    • H.L. Hunley
    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    Footer

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit.

    JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

    The South Carolina Picture Project has two Facebook groups. One is dedicated to SC Historic Landmarks and Iconic Landscapes, and the other is dedicated to SC Nature and Wildlife.

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2022 · All Rights Reserved