The largest Civil War surrender took Durham at what is now known as Bennett Place for no other reason than it was a convenient place for Generals Sherman and Johnston to meet. Can only imagine how ‘convenient’ that felt to the Bennett family. The surrender took three tries and eleven days. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of idle soldiers. Uh-oh. Naturally, they went about ransacking the local tobacco factories, clearing them out of all their goods.
Washington Duke returned to what looked and truly felt like complete ruin. That is until orders for Durham’s very distinct, sweet, high-addictive Brightleaf tobacco began flooding through Durham Station. Duke’s tobacco company would go onto heights no one thought possiBULL. His original name for his tobacco company was “Pro Bono Publico” meaning For the Public Good until George W. Watts bought into the company & it was renamed “W. Duke Sons & Company.”
You’ll notice ‘Pro Bono Publico’ made a very special appearance in “The Bulls of Durham” living history book.
Business was booming, but there was one Duke who was NOT smiling, the notorious carouser Brodie Duke. Brodie was NOT keen on Watts. When he purchased and created the Trinity Park area he named the streets Watts, Hated, Washington. So that going one way it read “Watts hated Washington” and from the other direction would read, “Washington hated Watts.” Dang. That’s petty.
The name was changed to Gregson at some point, possiBULLy because no one wanted to live or work on Hated Street or perhaps Washington Duke gave Brodie another infusion of the Duke wealth to sway him.
If you head over to West Corporation Street today, near the old Durham Bulls ballpark (aka Durham Athletic Park, aka El Toro Park), you can see Brodie Duke’s building. Look closely friends & you’ll see brickwork that is as haphazard as Brodie was said to have been. He far preferred to spend his time with the ladies and liquor than being a tobacco baron. It’s incrediBULL how fitting the building is to his character and in his defense both ladies and liquor are quite lovely.
More incrediBULL bits of Durham history can be found in “The Bulls of Durham” living history book.
This Bull City History Bit was made possiBULL by our Community Partner Brian Bonomo Photography.
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