C.R. Patterson and Sons facts for kids
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Formerly
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J. P. Lowe & Company; C.R. Patterson, Son & Company; C.R. Patterson and Sons Carriage Company |
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| Industry | Automotive manufacturing company |
| Successor | Greenfield Bus Body Company; Gallia Body Company |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Founder | Frederick Patterson |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Headquarters | Greenfield, Ohio, US |
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Key people
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| Products | Patterson-Greenfield automobile |
C.R. Patterson and Sons was an American company that made cars and later buses. It was active from 1893 to 1939. The company was based mostly in Greenfield, Ohio. It was the first car company started by an African American, Frederick Douglas Patterson. He named it after his father, Charles "Rich" Richard Patterson. They were famous for making the Patterson-Greenfield automobile.
History
Early Beginnings
Charles "Rich" Richard Patterson (1833–1910) started the companies that led to C.R. Patterson and Sons. Charles was born in 1833. He later moved to Greenfield, Ohio. This town was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. He learned how to be a blacksmith and worked at a company that made carriages.
In 1873, Charles Patterson partnered with J.P. Lowe. They formed a company called J.P. Lowe & Company. By 1888, their business was successful, employing 10 people. In 1893, the United States faced a financial crisis. To help the business, Patterson bought Lowe's shares. The company was then renamed C.R. Patterson, Son, and Company. This new name showed that Charles's son, Samuel, was now part of the business. Sadly, Samuel Patterson became ill in 1897 and died in 1899. Charles's oldest son, Frederick Douglas Patterson, then came home to help run the company.
By 1900, the company was making 28 different styles of horse-drawn carriages. These included buggies, backboards, phaetons, and surreys. They had 50 employees and could make about 500 carriages each year.
Making Automobiles
After Charles Patterson passed away in 1910, his son Frederick Douglas Patterson took over the business. Frederick decided the company should start making "horseless carriages," which we now call cars. At first, they offered to fix cars in the local area.
On September 23, 1915, the first C.R. Patterson and Sons automobile was put together. It was a two-door coupe. The first cars were sold for about $685 to $850. This would be like paying about $17,741 to $22,014 today. It is thought that the company built between 30 and 150 cars. None of these cars are known to exist today.
Building Buses and Trucks
In 1918, C.R. Patterson & Sons stopped making cars. They went back to focusing on repairing vehicles. By the 1920s, they started building and designing bodies for trucks and buses. These bodies were then put onto chassis (the base frame) made by other companies. The company changed its name to Greenfield Bus Body Company.
Frederick Douglas Patterson died in 1932. His son, Postell Patterson (1906–1981), then took over the business. Most of the bus bodies they made were bought by school boards. These schools were in Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The Ohio Transit Company also bought their buses for use in Cincinnati and Cleveland.
In 1938, the company was reorganized and renamed Gallia Body Company. Its main office moved to Gallia, Ohio. However, the company could not raise enough money. It closed down in 1939.
