Sprague

[spreyg]

Sprague, Frank Julian, 1857-1934, American electrical engineer, b. Milford, Conn., grad. Annapolis, 1878. He was an assistant to Thomas Edison in 1883 and independently created a superior electric motor that was readily adaptable to industrial machinery. He also improved systems of electric energy and wheel suspension systems from which he developed the first electric street railway, installed at Richmond, Va., in 1887. He contributed greatly to the development of electric railways by inventing the multiple-unit system of automatic control, an automatic brake, and numerous other devices; he also developed the electric elevator.

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Sprague, Connecticut

Sprague is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.8 square miles (35.8 km²), of which, 13.2 square miles (34.2 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (4.41%) is water.

On the National Register of Historic Places

Ashlawn — 1 Potash Hill Road (added July 4, 1979)
Baltic Historic District — Roughly bounded by Fifth Avenue, River, High, Main, West Main, and the Shetucket River (added September 3, 1987)
William Park House — 330 Main Street (added March 7, 2007)

Demographics

Sprague is composed of three villages, Baltic, Hanover, and Versailles (pronounced 'vur-sales'). The town hall is located in the town of Baltic, and was constructed in the 1950s. Sprague is quickly becoming a destination for eco-tourism, having held their first RiverFest, a celebration of the local Shetucket River. This river and festival attracts kayakers, canoe enthusiasts, tubers, and nature lovers. A companion festival is held each year in October, the Three Villages Festival. This is held in Baltic, on the public ballfield and surrounding area. Sprague hopes to prosper by attracting businesses to further economic development. The previous industry in town was the Baltic Textile Mill, which burned down in 1999.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,971 people, 1,111 households, and 797 families residing in the town. The population density was 224.8 people per square mile (86.8/km²). There were 1,164 housing units at an average density of 88.1/sq mi (34.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.42% White, 0.71% African American, 0.64% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 1,111 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,125, and the median income for a family was $57,500. Males had a median income of $40,808 versus $28,616 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,796. About 2.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.