with temporary buildings and tents and used as a United States Army Signal Corps training facility. The offices of the city's Public Works Department are next to the ballpark on land that was also part of the camp. The camp was attached to Drew Army Airfield, located in Tampa. When the war ended, that airfield became the Tampa International Airport. Meanwhile, the Camp Weatherford location was used once again for baseball. An historical marker now stands between the city offices and the stadium. Return to baseball: 1948–1968 The Braves' second era In , Lou Perini, the owner of the Boston Braves (later renamed the Milwaukee Braves/Atlanta Braves) moved his club's spring training to Bradenton, after finding his club's training facility in Fort Lauderdale too windy. The Braves played in Bradenton for one year, however the city stated that if the Braves agreed to return the very next season, the city would build new clubhouses, field boxes along the first and third baselines and a new press box. The Braves agreed and stayed in Bradenton until . The Braves won three National League pennants while they trained there in 1948, 1957 and 1958, and won the 1957 World Series. In the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee, but kept playing spring ball in Bradenton. Future Hall of famer, Hank Aaron played his first games in the major leagues in Bradenton as a rookie in 1954. In , Bradenton became the first club to allow an African-American baseball player, Sam Jethroe of the Boston Braves. This was a major breakthrough because had Florida not allowed him to join, the state would have lost all of its baseball clubs. In March 1957, the Bradenton City Council granted permission for a semi professional Negro league baseball team to play its 10 game home schedule at the ballpark. The City of Bradenton had previously segregated Black teams to the city's "Negro quarter". In 1962, the stadium was finally renamed after Bradenton-native, Bill McKechnie, in honor of his induction that year into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager. However, after the spring training session, Lou Perini moved the Braves to Connie Mack Field, after spending $1 million on a development in West Palm Beach. The city scrambled to get a new major league team into McKechnie Field. The city and the Philadelphia Phillies almost landed in Bradenton, however city officials in Clearwater fixed several