Mural, roadway celebrating C.R. Patterson & Sons to be dedicated June 3
Postell Patterson, youngest son of Frederick Patterson, is pictured more than a century ago on a Patterson-Greenfield Roadster in front of C.R. Patterson & Sons on north Washington Street in downtown Greenfield. (Photo courtesy of the Greenfield Historical Society)
Greenfield’s C.R. Patterson & Sons is regarded as America’s first and only Black-owned and operated automobile company. The Pattersons’ contributions to the transportation industry, their civic efforts, and their successes – especially given the times of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – is something to be celebrated.
On June 3, an event is taking place to include the story of the Pattersons, a dedication of the naming of a roadway and the creation of a downtown mural honoring the Pattersons’ accomplishments.
It all initially began as a carriage firm in 1873 with Charles Richard (C.R.) Patterson and partner J.P. Lowe. Twenty years later, Patterson bought out Lowe and the company became C.R. Patterson & Sons. Later, C.R.’s oldest son, college-educated Frederick, would return to Greenfield to help his father run the company.
Frederick was the first Black student to attend Greenfield’s high school, and went on to become the first Black football player at The Ohio State University, where he was also elected class president.
When C.R. passed away in 1910, Frederick took over management of the company. By that time, the company also included automobile repair and services, as Frederick had convinced his father that automobiles were the future. In 1915, the Patterson-Greenfield automobile was introduced. At that time, according to Tom Smith, historian and collector, the company employed about 50 people, making it the largest Black-owned and operated manufacturing company in the country. The company later went on to manufacture buses and trucks.
In 2021, Charles Richard and son Frederick were inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit, Mich. Smith not only attended the ceremony, but lent one of his Patterson buggies to be displayed there.
In commemorating the accomplishments of the Pattersons, Greenfield is renaming Industrial Park Drive, located in the South Central Ohio Industrial Park on the north end of the village, to Patterson Way. In addition to this, a mural by a local artist has been commissioned for the downtown.
The official commemoration will take place Saturday, June 3, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Greenfield beside 414 Jefferson St. where the mural, once finished, will be located.
Speakers, who will each deliver a detailed piece of Patterson history, will include historian and 1962 McClain graduate George Ford; longtime sports writer and author Mark Rea; and ODOT Director and historian Dr. Jack Marchbanks.
Patterson buggies will be displayed during the event as well as other memorabilia. The event’s location is not far from where the company was located, a location that since 2014 bears an Ohio historical marker with a brief history of the company.
This is all happening during Greenfield’s inaugural Greenfield Music Festival, which this year is a tribute to Greenfield native, Donald Lytle, better known as Johnny Paycheck. Following the Patterson commemoration, attendees can enjoy food, vendors and entertainment, which later on Saturday will include local favorite Sean Poole and Buckin’ Krazy followed by Whey Jennings, grandson of music great Waylon Jennings. For more information about the Greenfield Music Festival, including a schedule of events and entertainment, go to the Greenfield Music Festival Facebook page or to greenfieldmusicfestival.org.
For more information about the C.R. Patterson & Sons Company, as well as more information about the family, a good place to start is the Greenfield Historical Society at greenfieldhistoricalsociety.org.