C.R. Patterson and Sons

The First and Only Black American Car Manufacturer

Frederick Douglas Patterson pictured with a Patterson-Greenfield automobile. Courtesy of the Historical Society of Greenfield, Ohio.

C.R. Patterson and Sons did the unthinkable at a time when hundreds of white-owned companies entered the crowded field of automobile manufacturing: it dared to compete as well. Unlike all the other players in this arena, C.R. Patterson and Sons was owned by black Americans. The automobile era came in the early twentieth century, upending the days of horse-drawn carriages by way of an internal combustible engine that delivered a different kind of horsepower. 

Henry Ford used the moving assembly line to churn out hundreds of thousands of identical Model T cars that were sold relatively cheap, but C.R. Patterson and Sons—operating out of Greenfield, Ohio—built expensive custom vehicles for a smaller customer base, meaning only a few were produced. While C.R. Patterson and Sons manufactured under 200 automobiles between 1915 and 1918, it positioned itself as a luxury brand that catered to blacks who could afford such luxury. But the company simply could not compete with the moving assembly line model, and there were not enough middle-class blacks who needed an expensive vehicle. Therefore, C.R. Patterson and Sons was forced out of custom automobile manufacturing. It had to adapt to stay in business.

The company made a necessary transition in the past. Its founder, Charles Richard Patterson, was born a Virginia slave in April 1833. While little is known about the period of his enslavement, he eventually gained his freedom, though conflicting records are left to us as to how he did so. Charles eventually settled in Greenfield, Ohio, which was an Underground Railroad station. He found work at the Dines and Simpson Carriage and Coach Makers Company and became a skilled blacksmith. In 1873, he formed a partnership with a white man named James P. Lowe and began building finely crafted horse-drawn carriages. After buying out his partner twenty years later, C.R. Patterson and Sons Carriage Company was established. Each year the company built surreys, phaetons, buckboards, buggies, and jitneys for medical doctors.

“After buying out his partner twenty years later, C.R. Patterson and Sons Carriage Company was established.”

During its time in business, C.R. Patterson and Sons was awarded several patents, among them a trill coupling, buggy top, and vehicle dash. Charles died in 1910, and his eldest son, Frederick Douglas Patterson, assumed control of the family business. Frederick was noted as the first black football player at Ohio State University. Frederick was also appointed vice president of the National Negro Business League, which was founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900. As the new owner of C.R. Patterson and Sons, Frederick realized the need for progression. Horse-drawn carriages and buggies were fading into the past.

The company’s transition was gradual, and it only repaired and restored existing horseless carriages initially. But having access to various makes and models of these new carriages allowed C.R. Patterson and Sons an opportunity to reverse-engineer the invention. Frederick advertised his auto repair services locally and in time his employees became intimately familiar with engines, drivetrains, and mechanical and electrical systems.

Frederick’s son, Postell Patterson, stands on the running board of a Patterson-Greenfield Roadster that was released in 1915. The C.R. Patterson and Sons showroom is seen in the background. Photo courtesy of the Historical Society of Greenfield.

Frederick was forward-thinking. He addressed the board members by highlighting the increase of horseless carriages, which went from one vehicle for every 65,000 people in 1902 to one for every 800 in 1909. He proposed they produce a Patterson horseless carriage. In 1915, history was made when the company unveiled the Patterson-Greenfield automobile at the introductory price of $685. It came in two models: a touring car and a roadster. Later vehicles sold for as much as $850, versus Ford’s $400 price point for the less sophisticated Model T. 

Despite the higher cost, orders for C.R. Patterson vehicles trickled in. Between 1915 and 1918, the company produced several models, from coupes and family sedans to sporty speedsters. Among the many features advertised were a 30-horsepower Continental four-cylinder engine, a ventilated windshield with a stylish split down the center, cantilever springs, electric starting and lighting, and a full floating rear axle. In the end, the high-quality Patterson-Greenfield vehicle could not compete with the moving assembly line and the more affordable offerings from larger Detroit rivals.

A bus built for the school district in Greenfield, Ohio. Photo courtesy of the Historical Society of Greenfield.

Between increased labor costs and the rising price of parts, supplies, and equipment, profit margins were slim for C.R. Patterson and Sons. By the early 1920s, the company—operating as the Greenfield Bus Body Company—made another transition, this time building bus and truck bodies for chassis manufactured by those Detroit rivals. The new business model worked for a time and the company was profitable until the stock market crashed and the Great Depression hit. Customers reduced bus orders after suffering financial woes, and the death of Frederick Patterson in 1932 only compounded the company’s problems. 

In 1938, Frederick’s two sons, Frederick Jr. and Postell restructured the company again, this time naming it the Gallia Body Company and moving its headquarters to Gallipolis in southeastern Ohio. The Great Depression continued to wreak financial havoc on companies across the American landscape, and the Patterson sons could not secure investors to remain a going concern. They closed the doors on the last vestige of C.R. Patterson and Sons in 1939. No Patterson-Greenfield automobile remains in existence, but the accomplishments of a family that began in the dark bowels of slavery and rose to the elite position of automobile manufacturer should be seen as a supreme triumph.

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This article appears in 45 People, Places, and Events in Black History You Should Know.

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