Durham and baseball are intimately connected in the minds of many Americans because of the movie "Bull Durham." But the relationship between the city of Durham and the sport dates back to more than a century before the film.
In the late 1800's, Durham's American Tobacco Company played an important role in the creation of the baseball card. Tobacco companies were the first industry to use baseball cards in their advertisements, and the most famous baseball card in history advertised the American Tobacco brand.
A new two-part exhibit traces the history of the baseball card and examines how different historical eras and social issues shaped the cards and the sport as a whole.
Host Frank Stasio talks with exhibit curator Adam Berenbak, an archivist in the National Archives Center for Legislative Archives. The exhibit is on view at both the Museum of Durham History and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park through Monday, Sept. 5. The museum hosts a special family day event Saturday from 2-5:30 p.m. with food trucks, live music, and baseball storytelling with Adam Berenbak.
