Sprague was best known for making a large line of capacitors used in a wide variety of electrical and electronic in commercial, industrial and military/space applications.

Mini condensers were commonly used in radio applications for noise filtering, signal coupling and tone controls.

Early capacitors were two pieces of metal foil wrapped between wax paper or any other type of suitable insulation material.

When local residents heard the company was expanding, Sprague received all kinds of incentives from the banks and other businesses to relocate there.

By 1942 the Sprague Specialties Company had relocated to the abandoned Arnold Print Works Facility on Marshall St.

Previous to the Sprague Specialties Company, the Arnold Print Works had been the largest employer in North Adams, operating in the area from 1860–1942.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the declaration of war that followed, US manufacturing stopped commercial production and switched to wartime activities.

One of Sprague Electric's biggest contributions to the war effort was in the manufacturing of the variable timing proximity fuse.

Sprague Electric continued to make capacitor and resistive components to meet military requirements of quality and reliability.

Radio and television manufacturers like RCA, Zenith and Philco continued to use Sprague Electric products.

Sprague Electric flourished during the Cold War and the Space Race because of their reputation and experience in the building of military components.

By November 1956 straight hourly workers wages were tied to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

Sprague understood this as the future trend in electronics; he opened more plants in the United States and developed a worldwide network of sales offices.

By 1960 Sprague Electric had manufacturing plants in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland and California.

With advances in transistor and integrated circuit technology (later computer chips) resistance to noise interference became a factor.

In 1965 Sprague Electric acquired Micro Tech (Sunnyvale, CA), a manufacturer of semiconductor equipment for fabrication.

[9] By 1966 Sprague opened a brand new facility in Worcester, MA dedicated to semiconductor and integrated circuit fabrication.

While Robert C. Sprague and the Union representatives shook hands after the settlement, the results had a negative effect on future of the company, its management and employees.

Sprague Electric made cuts to minimize costs, including reducing the labor force and shuttering some of its North Adams operations.

Employee morale plummeted which was reflected in the rapid decline of the company's newsletter the Sprague Log during this period.

In 1985, it was announced that the Sprague division headquarters would move to Lexington, Massachusetts, and the North Adams plant would close down.

[17] As a company Penn Central focused on profits; it viewed Sprague Electric performance as unsatisfactory, and gradually closed or sold off operations.

[21] Removal and cleanup of the industrial waste, including carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were also lingering problems.

The mayor of North Adams, John Barrett III, suggested the abandoned Sprague Electric facility.

[23] In 1999, after years of demolition, cleanup, restoration, and construction, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) opened.

The revival of interest in vacuum tube amplifiers brought the mystique of having the right electronic components for top performance.