Baltic is the town center village of the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Sprague,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(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 older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1987, encompassing virtually the entire extent of the village.

History

Baltic was formed around a cotton mill established on the Shetucket River 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 Democrat Dan McKee. In their capacity ...

and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

William Sprague III. 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 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...

, 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 City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. 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 Bevis (sometimes spelled ''Beavis'' or ''Bevys'') is a given name of Old French origin, meaning someone coming from Beauvais, in the Oise region, or after the Norman French “belfils” or “beufitz”, meaning fair or lovely son. It was not recor ...

, which used it for a mail order operation. The historic district includes 208 contributing buildings 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.

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

History

Demographics

Events

See also

References