C.R. Patterson Mural Dedication July 20 in Greenfield
Courtesy of Heidi Arrington
Grow Greater Greenfield (g3) proudly announces a mural dedication ceremony to honor the history of the C.R. Patterson & Sons family to be held Saturday, July 20 in Greenfield from 11 a.m. to noon at 334 Jefferson St.
Guest Speakers to include (subject to change): Nancy Crawford, Muralist; Christopher Nelson, Author and Movie Producer; Richard Patterson, descendant; George Ford, Educator & Historian; Mark Ray, OSU (Historian on Frederick Patterson); and Tom Smith, C.R. Patterson family expert.
The event also featurs early C.R. Patterson Buggies and the Greenfield Antique Car and Truck Club’s 56th Annual Car Show.
C.R. Patterson Buggies and antique cars/trucks to be on display from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Steph’s Gourmet Hotdogs, Priests Texas BBQ, and Tony’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice will be available at the event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
History of C.R. Patterson
The mural was created to share the inspiring story of Charles Richard Patterson who was a very successful businessman building buggies from the 1870s to the early 1910s in Greenfield. One key note about the C.R. Patterson story is he took the School Board to court to fight for his children to be able to attend the then all white school. His son, Frederick, graduated from Greenfield High School in 1888 as Valedictorian and went on to attend Ohio State University and became the first Black player on the OSU football team in 1891.
Frederick moved back to Greenfield and led the efforts to make one of the first automobiles – moving his father’s company from buggies to automobiles. In 1915 the Pattersons were the first and only Black American car manufacturers, competing with the Ford Model T. The C.R. Patterson and Son’s company went on to manufacture bus bodies until 1939.
The Patterson family overcame many odds to be successful businessmen, church and community leaders, and to be politically connected.
About the author of C.R. Patterson and sons company book
Christopher Nelson wrote the 1st and 2nd edition of the award winning book in 2010 and 2022. The book has received many awards including the American Writing Awards 2022 – History General Category, Indie Reader Discovery Awards – Overall non-fiction June 2023, and most recently the 2024 American Legacy Book Award for History General Category. The book, and C.R. Patterson story is currently in production with Bright Morning Star Films as a feature film entitled “Driven”, and also is being produced as a documentary. For updates to the book, feature film, and documentary follow Christopher Nelson on Facebook – The C.R. Patterson and Sons Company Book page.
About g3 – grow greater greenfield
Grow Greater Greenfield (G3) is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit organization dedicated to working together to share our history, grow our community and promote our future. G3 meets monthly on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Small Town Fitness. They host three major fundraisers throughout the year including the annual Soup-er Bowl in February, the Wine Walk in May, and the annual Oktoberfest the last Saturday of September. In addition, they host summer movie nights with free movies once each month during the summer months.