15 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com about the cover About the Cover BY SARAH ROSE Until the early 1980s, the property where Simmons Point stands today was privately owned by the Simmons family. A dock halfway down the lot was accessible only by a small dirt road. That was where Simmons Seafood began its operations, according to owner Bubba Simmons. His father, Billy Simmons, recalled that during the winter when the shrimping season closed, the boats stopped moving the water around which kept the marsh flushed out. After six months, silt and mud filled in the dormant waters and by the time the warmer weather arrived, shrimpers couldn’t navigate through the muck. Because dredging that area wasn’t possible then, the only way to keep small cracks open, Billy said, was to use dynamite. “It was a common process back then,” Billy explained. “But when we were told the dynamite was stunting the fish and even killing them, we had to stop the operations and look for another solution.” The path forward became clear when the Simmons family sold part of that land to developer William Daly from Florence and bought the property on Shem Creek where Red’s Ice House is today. “There were plenty of boats back then, three wide out, tied alongside each other,” Billy remembered. “Back in the day it was quite a sight to see 80 or 90 of them coming and going through the creek. I wondered how they did not collide.” As the fishing industry boomed in Mount Pleasant, commerce demanded more storage for the shrimp boats. To moor them between trips, the Simmons purchased additional land on Shem Creek where Vickery’s Bar & Grill and Tavern & Table reside today. To honor the legacy of the Simmons family and their contributions to our community, we thought it fitting to feature them on the cover of our Family Edition. To capture the best vantage point for a photo of the Simmons family, our production crew and Shem Creek, our fearless editor, Zach Giroux, climbed a ladder and scaled the roof of the Pleasant Lady shrimping vessel. Standing (left to right) are: media consultant Allyah Harrar; brand ambassador Stacey McLoughlin; publisher Bill Macchio; son Will Simmons; mom Elaine Simmons; dad Bubba Simmons; photographer Mark Staff and media consultant Colleen Kassner. Seated (left to right) are: grandpa Bill Simmons; daughter Kate Simmons and grandma Dee Dee Simmons.
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