C. R. Patterson & Sons

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C. R. “Rich” Patterson is better known today as the nation’s first African-American carriage builder.

According to the generally accepted story, in 1861, just prior to the start of the Civil War, Patterson fled from his native Virginia by way of the Allegheny Mountains, passing through the slave state of West Virginia, after which he crossed the Ohio River to the relatively safe free state of Ohio.

Subject ID: 68539

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C. R. “Rich” Patterson is better known today as the nation’s first African-American carriage builder.

According to the generally accepted story, in 1861, just prior to the start of the Civil War, Patterson fled from his native Virginia by way of the Allegheny Mountains, passing through the slave state of West Virginia, after which he crossed the Ohio River to the relatively safe free state of Ohio.

Once safely in Ohio he traded his service as a blacksmith and wagon repairman in exchange for room and board and by 1862 had arrived in Greenfield where he found plenty of work awaiting him. At that time Greenfield was a well-known way-station along the route typically followed by escaped southern slaves traveling to Columbus, Ohio, a popular end-point of the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad.

It is believed that Patterson became a partner in the business that was popularly known as 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 & Sons.

The firm continued to use the Patterson-Greenfield trade name on the firm’s buses and commercial vehicles up until 1921 when the firm was reorganized.

The last mention of the C.R. Patterson Co. was the firm's October 22, 1919 Ohio Corporation certificate renewal. By 1921, the firm had been reorganized as the Greenfield Bus Body Company, which was capitalized for $50,000.

Subject ID: 68539

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Subject ID: 68539