Baltic is the town center village of the
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Sprague,
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, United States, and a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP). The population of the CDP was 1,250 as of the
2010 census.
The Sprague town hall is in Baltic. The Baltic Historic District is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
that was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1987, encompassing virtually the entire extent of the village.
History
Baltic was formed around a
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Although some were driven ...
established on the
Shetucket River
The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern Connecticut in the United States.
It is formed at ...
on land purchased in 1856 by former
Rhode Island Governor
The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democratic ...
and
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
William Sprague III
William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III (November 3, 1799October 19, 1856), was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th Governor, a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator. ...
. The A. & W. Sprague Manufacturing Co. mill burned down in 1887. Subsequently,
Frederick Sayles of
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...
, purchased the site and built the Baltic Mills Co. cotton mill, which opened in 1899. The company operated until 1963, when the mill was sold to a syndicate from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. The mill continued operating until 1967, when it was closed and the property and equipment were sold. In 1970 the property was sold to the Casper Division of
Bevis Industries, which used it for a
mail order
Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as:
* Sending an order form in the mail
* Placing an order by telephone call
...
operation.
The historic district includes 208
contributing building
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...
s and two other contributing structures over a area.
In August 1999, the remains of the mill were destroyed by fire. There was only one building that survived although it was also critically damaged
. It was soon after discovered that campus was set ablaze by three local boys.
On April 23, 2018, the mill was set on fire again. Fire officials said hot sparks hit debris from citing pipes, likely sparking the flames of the fire.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census the Baltic CDP had a population of 1,250. The racial composition of Baltic was 81.0% white, 3.7% black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.4% from some other race and 5.7% from two or more races. 8.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Events
Baltic is the site of a monthly Sprague River Run on the Shetucket River from April to October, which includes
tubing and activities for children and adults.
Education
The census-designated place, along with the rest of Sprague Town, is in
Sprague School District.
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Text list
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See also
*
References
{{authority control
Census-designated places in New London County, Connecticut
Queen Anne architecture in Connecticut
Villages in Connecticut
Historic districts in New London County, Connecticut
Sprague, Connecticut
Populated places established in 1856
Villages in New London County, Connecticut
Census-designated places in Connecticut