On March 23, 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers signed a 21-year lease with the city of Vero Beach to use an abandoned naval base as their Spring Training home in Florida for the Grapefruit League. The site would affectionately become known as Dodgertown and was where the Dodgers held Spring Training until moving to Camelback Ranch in 2009.
What became Historic Dodgertown was originally utilized as a housing base during World War II for all of the members of the Navy and Marines who trained at an air station located across the street. Local businessman Bud Holman introduced then-Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey to the site, although it was Buzzie Bavasi who toured the location…