C. W. Bryant Company truck with crane

Photograph of a truck with a crane belonging to the C. W. Bryant Company. The caption on the back reads "Taken November 4 1947 Rear of 1117 Cleveland Ave. Columbus, Ohio." The truck is parked in front of a one-story cement block building with the driver seated in the driver's seat. Charles William Bryant Jr. was born in Dayton in 1882, and from his start as a farmhand with a 3rd grade education would go on to become a prominent African American businessman, self-taught engineer, and owner of one of Columbus’ largest construction firms. The C. W. Bryant Rigging & Moving Co. was involved in major projects throughout Columbus, including the construction of a temporary Broad Street bridge following the 1913 flood, the removal of lighting arcs from High Street, and dismantling Hanford Village in 1962 for the construction of I-71. Bryant faced racial discrimination in his personal and professional life, including the refusal of local steelworkers’ unions to admit Bryant’s black employees, which forced Bryant Co. out of steel construction in the 1950s. He nonetheless expanded into other areas, including ownership of Bryco gas stations, a coal and oil company, the Litchford and Macon hotels, and the Ohio Malt Beverage Co.-the first African American distributor in Columbus