This area on the Shetucket River was part of the land deeded in 1659 by Uncas, the Mohegan Indian sachem, to form the town of Norwich. In 1786 it became parts of Franklin and Lisbon. Settlements were made at Hanover, established as an ecclesiastical society in 1761, at Elderkin's Bridge, also called Lord's Bridge, and at Lovett's Bridge, also called Eagleville. In 1856 Governor William Sprague of Rhode Island purchased land and flowage rights on the river, laying the foundation of a large cotton mill which, completed after his death, became the center of a new town. In May, 1861 Hanover, Baltic, formerly Lord's Bridge, and Eagleville, now Versailles, were incorporated to form the town of Sprague.