Charles B. Simmons

Charles B. Simmons, the longest serving director of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, passed away June 30th at his home in Simsbury, Connecticut, at the age of 90.

Simmons was born October 9, 1931, in Bristol, Connecticut, and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in architecture and following graduate work in the Yale School of Architecture, Simmons served in the U.S. Army Security Agency. In 1965, he received a fellowship from the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum to study in its Early American Culture program, after which he served for three years as a Curator at the Historical Society of York County in York, Pennsylvania, where he oversaw four restored historic homes. He also owned and operated Simmons Gallery Inc., an antique business in Connecticut.

Simmons was appointed the Flagler Museum’s second, and to date, its youngest Executive Director in 1969, following Grant Bedford’s retirement. For the next decade, Charles Simmons worked with the Museum’s founder, Jean Flagler Matthews, to restore Whitehall until her death in 1979. During that period the Museum underwent major changes. Whitehall was added to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Royal Poinciana Chapel was moved from the property where the Museum’s parking lot is now located, many objects original to Whitehall were repatriated, and Whitehall’s Main Gates were restored and opened to the Public for the first time in decades. Simmons was a passionate and devoted supporter of the arts, and he was instrumental in bringing a wide range of events, exhibits, and performances to wherever he called home. Simmons retired in 1994 after more than a quarter century of service to the Museum.

While he received many awards during his long and distinguished tenure as the Flagler Museum’s director, perhaps the one he was most proud of was the Florida Association of Museums (FAM) Lifetime Achievement Award he received in 1994. A gifted raconteur, Simmons was always the life of any gathering with his unparalleled gift for telling engaging, nonstop tales of his travels and experiences. He could also occasionally be coaxed into sharing his opinions on news, events, and trends of the day.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, or to the charity of your choice.