Charles Richard Patterson
(1833-1910)
inventor
United Sates of America first African-American
carriage company entrepreneur. formed the highly successful C.R. Patterson and Sons Co.
Horse Carriage and Motor Vehicles
Charles Richard Patterson was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation to Charles and Nancy in April 1833. He worked as a apprentice to a blacksmith where he honed his mechanical skills.
Patterson earned his freedom by escaping before the civil war through the path of the Allegheny Mountains and into the Ohio a state known to be slavery free at the time.
He would do barter with his expertise as a blacksmith for shelter. In 1862 he relocated to Greenfield also known as the final point of the Underground Railroad where his trade was needed. In the long term of his stay there he was finally employed by a small manufacturing company named Dines and Simpson, Greenfield as a blacksmith foreman.
In 1865 he married Josephine Utz. Josephine was beautiful and of mixed race. Together they had a four children Mary in 1866, Frederick in 1871, Samuel c in 1875 (passed away in 1899 at the age of 23) and Kate in 1879
Patterson eventually became a partner with Lowe & Patterson, although its legal name remained J.P. Lowe & Co. until 1893 when Patterson bought out Lowe’s share in the business and reorganized as C.R. Patterson, Son & Co. The State of Ohio’s 1888 Bureau of Labor Statistics Report lists J.P. Lowe & Co., carriages, etc. with a staff of 10.
In 1897 Samuel C. Patterson became quite ill, prompting Frederick to resign his teaching position and return to Ohio in order to assist his father in the management of the family’s carriage manufacturIng business .
The 1903 American Carriage Directory lists two carriage manufacturers in Greenfield, Ohio; The Greenfield Carriage Co. (light vehicles) and C.R. Patterson & Son, 2 Hamler (light carriages; wholesale mfrs.). The reference to Hamler, another small Ohio community, is unknown, although it’s possible the firm operated a satellite wareroom in the Northwest Ohio village, which was directly accessible via the railroad.
Charles R. Patterson was awarded patents for his following inventions which are as follows:
a thill coupling (#364,849) in 1887;
a furniture caster (#452,940) in 1891;
a vehicle dash (#803,356) in 1905.
Clay Gordon patented a buggy top (#983,992) that was assigned to C.R. Patterson & Sons Co. (a co-partnership) in 1911 and Homer C. Reed patented a combination ladder that was assigned to F.D. Patterson in 1910.
Charles R. Patterson passed away in 1910, leaving the successful carriage business to his son Frederick who in turn reinvented the company from a horse carriage business into a car manufacturer. The first Patterson-Greenfield car debuted in 1915 and was sold for $850. With a four-cylinder Continental engine – Frederick Douglass Patterson took over the company and built up a strong business servicing early automobiles for the local community. Eventually due the Ford motor company competition the doors of the business closed.
photos are of Federick with the motor vehicle and the buses which eventually was sold.