Sparks, Maryland
| Sparks, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 Sparks, Maryland
Sparks, Maryland
|
|
| Coordinates: 39°31′51″N 76°38′45″W / 39.53083°N 76.64583°WCoordinates: 39°31′51″N 76°38′45″W / 39.53083°N 76.64583°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |
 Maryland
|
| County |
 Baltimore
|
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 21152 |
Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. It is situated approximately 20 miles north of Baltimore, Maryland and is considered to be a suburb of the City of Baltimore. The Gunpowder River runs through Sparks.
Sparks serves as the location of the world headquarters of McCormick & Company; it is also the headquarters of sportwear manufacturer FILA USA. The popular North Central Railroad ("NCR") Hike-Bike Trail runs through Sparks along the basin of the Gunpowder Falls (a.k.a. the Gunpowder River). The town's ZIP Code is 21152 and it is frequently accessed at Exit 24, Belfast Road, along I-83, an Interstate Highway that runs from Baltimore, MD to Harrisburg, PA. Although Sparks is unincorporated and has no official town limits, the area that is usually considered to constitute Sparks runs from several miles west of I-83 to Carroll Road to the East, and from north of Hunt Valley/Cockeysville along York Road and I-83 to Hereford, Maryland. Approximately 3,000 (5,094 according to 2010 census) people self-identify as living in the Sparks area. Glencoe, MD is a smaller community that is largely surrounded by Sparks and the area is sometimes collectively known as "Sparks Glencoe, Maryland."
In 1835, the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad constructed a track through Baltimore County which included a siding and switch near a large tract of land owned by the Sparks family. Railroad officials gave the name Sparks to the switch, and soon area residents began to refer to the location as "Sparks' Switch." Abraham Lincoln's body was carried through Sparks on the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad from Washington, D.C. on its way to burial in Illinois following his assassination in 1865.
For a number of years a creamery was operated for farmers who brought their milk in daily to be separated. (The stone structure which once housed the creamery can be seen today.) The cream was shipped to Baltimore while the skim milk was used by the farmers on their farms. With the passage of time, Sparks' Switch came to be known simply as "Sparks." In 1888, the area had grown to a point where "a substantial foot bridge 6 feet in width" had to be built across the Gunpowder River.
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