Page "Durham Bulls" Paragraph 7

Six years later, in 1932, the team became affiliated with the National League's Philadelphia Phillies, the first of ten teams that the Bulls have been affiliated with.

The next year, the city of Durham purchased El Toro Park, renaming it the Durham Athletic Park after the 1933 season.

After the 1933 season, the Bulls were unable to operate for the 1934 and 1935 seasons due to the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, a team from Wilmington, North Carolina who also played in the Piedmont League and was a Cincinnati Reds affiliate called the Wilmington Pirates relocated to Durham and was going to replace the Bulls.

The Bulls ( franchise ) however, were re-activated by having the operations of the Williamsport ball club being integrated from the Williamsport club into the Bulls.

The Reds then switch affiliations from the former Williamsport ball club to the Bulls.

The Bulls continued as the same continuing franchise.

The Williamsport Pirates then disbanded, but reformed and returned to their home city of Williamsport in 1946 and played in the Class D Tobacco State League from 1946 to 1950.

The Williamsport club then ceased operations for good.

On the evening of June 17, 1939, the Durham Athletic Park burned to the ground, hours after the Bulls defeated the Portsmouth Cubs 7-3.

The groundskeeper, Walter Williams, who was asleep under the grandstand when the blaze began, was able to escape.

The fire nearly killed him.

The damage was more than $ 100, 000.

In a remarkable two-week turnaround, the Durham Athletic Park was functioning again by July 2, with the old wooden grandstand replaced by concrete and steel.

The stadium also included temporary bleachers and seated 1, 000 people.

The crowd that day saw the Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 11-4.