C.R. Patterson and Sons was an American automotive company, active from 1893 to 1939 primarily in Greenfield, Ohio and for one year in Gallia, Ohio.[1] The first African American founded car company founded by Frederick Douglas Patterson, and named after his father Charles "Rich" Richard Patterson.[1] They made the Patterson-Greenfield automobile.
 | |
| Formerly | J. P. Lowe & Company; C.R. Patterson, Son & Company; C.R. Patterson and Sons Carriage Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive manufacturing company |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Founder | Frederick Patterson |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Successor | Greenfield Bus Body Company; Gallia Body Company |
| Headquarters | Greenfield, Ohio, US |
Key people |
|
| Products | Patterson-Greenfield automobile |
History
editPrecursors
editCharles "Rich" Richard Patterson (1833–1910) founded a precursor companies to C.R. Patterson and Sons.[2][3][4] Patterson was born in 1833 to Charles and Nancy Patterson in Virginia. The family moved to Ohio between 1841 and 1842. They were listed in the 1850 census in Greenfield, Ohio, which was a busy station on the underground railroad.[2][5] He initially worked at Dines and Simpson Carriage and Coach Makers Company, and learned blacksmithing.[1]
Charles Patterson partnered with a local carriage builder, J.P. Lowe, a white man, and they created J.P. Lowe & Company in 1873.[2][4][6] By 1888, the business employed 10 people, which was considered successful for its time.[6] The United States was experiencing the Panic of 1893, a financial crisis and business was suffering.[6] As a result, in 1893, the company was renamed as C.R. Patterson, Son, and Company after Patterson bought Lowe's shares and to mark the inclusion of his son Samuel to the business.[2][4] Samuel Patterson fell ill in 1897, and died in 1899.[4] His eldest son Frederick Douglas Patterson moved home to help with the business.
By 1900, the company was producing 28 different horse-drawn carriage styles including buggies, backboards, phaetons, surreys, and the popular doctor's buggy.[7] They had 50 employees, and were able to manufacture approximately 500 horse-drawn carriages a year.[7]
Automobile manufacturing
editAfter Charles Patterson's death in 1910, his son Frederick Douglas Patterson took over the carriage business and decided they needed to get into the "Patterson horseless carriage" business.[2] At first they offered the service of repairing existing automobiles in the local area.[1] On September 23, 1915, the first C.R. Patterson and Sons automobile was assembled, a two-door coupe.[2] The first cars were sold for $685, with additional reports of the car selling for $850 (or $17,741 to $22,014 adjusted for inflation in 2021).[1][2][6]
It is estimated they built somewhere between 30 and 150 vehicles, and none are known to have survived to present day.[6]
Bus and truck manufacturing
editIn 1918, C.R. Patterson & Sons halted their auto production and concentrated once again on the repair side of the business.[1] By the 1920s, they started focusing on building and designing truck and bus bodies, which were fitted to chassis made by other manufactures.[1] The company was renamed Greenfield Bus Body Company. Frederick Douglas Patterson died in 1932, and his son Postell Patterson (1906–1981) took over the business.[8]
Most of the bus bodies were purchased by school boards in Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky, as well as the Ohio Transit Company and used in Cincinnati and Cleveland.[6]
In 1938, the company was reorganized under the name Gallia Body Company and the headquarters moved to Gallia, Ohio.[4] Unable to raise enough money, the company closed in 1939.[1][8]
Further reading
edit- May, Henry A. (2007). First Black Autos: The Charles Richard "C.R." Patterson & Sons Company. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1425105174.
- Nelson, Christopher (2010). The C. R. Patterson and Sons Company: Black Pioneers in the Vehicle Building Industry, 1865-1939. ISBN 978-1453770306.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Only African American Automobile Company". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Smithsonian. 2017-10-11. Archived from the original on 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Charles R. Patterson, Inventor born". African American Registry. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ "The Patterson Automobile". Historical Society of Greenfield, Ohio. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ a b c d e Berk, Brett (2019-02-15). "The Only African American Automaker Started as a Coachbuilder". Car and Driver. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ "C.R. Patterson and Sons: The First and Only African-American Automobile Company". Your AAA Network. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ a b c d e f Printz, Larry (2021-03-10). "From buggies to buses, the first Black-owned US automaker did what few others dared". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ a b Smith, Jessie Carney (2006). Encyclopedia of African American Business: A-J. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 646. ISBN 978-0-313-33110-7.
- ^ a b Theobald, Mark (2004). "Greenfield Bus Body Co., C.R. Patterson & Sons, Peterson-Greenfield, J.P. Lowe & Co., Frederick D. Patterson, Charles R. Peterson, Black Auto Mfr". Coachbult.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
External links
edit
- Article: "Charles R. Patterson, Inventor born" from African American Registry (AAREG)