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William Gilmore Simms scholars marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of South Carolina's most cherished and prolific writers with three separate three-day events this year. USC Beaufort professor Colin Pearce attended all three events.
"If Simms were alive today, he would be heartened to see that there are still people from his beloved South Carolina and elsewhere in the country who are more than willing to carry the torch of literature, history, poetry, and art into the future in his name," Pearce said.
Born April 17, 1806, Simms wrote fourteen novels, numerous short stories, poems, essays, and reviews, as well as a number of major biographies for such figures as Francis Marion, Nathaniel Greene, and John Laurens. He also served in the State House of Representatives from 1844 to 1846.
The first of the bicentennial events to honor Simms was held in April at the South Caroliniana Library on the USC Horseshoe in Columbia. James Everett Kibler, one of the nation's leading authorities on Simms, was the keynote speaker. Pearce presented a paper at the conference titled, "'My Dear Sir:' Holmes to Simms on the Present State of Letters," which focused on four letters to Simms as editor of the Southern Literary Messenger written by the philosopher George Frederick Holmes (1820-1897).
The second event, also in April, was held in Philadelphia, Penn. It featured established and emerging Simms scholars from across the country.
In June, the third and final event was held in Barnwell, S.C., home of Simms' plantation Woodlands. During the three-day event, Simms descendants and scholars gathered for a number of events including a banquet where Nicholas Meriweather, the director of the South Caroliniana Library, was a guest speaker. The following day featured an unveiling and dedication of a William Gilmore Simms Bust in Collins Park in Barnwell. David Aiken spoke during this event, and a State of South Carolina historical plaque was erected on the highway near Simms' Plantation.
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