NOW OPEN: “First Saratogians” – A Powerful New Exhibit at the Saratoga Springs History Museum!

Step into a story thousands of years in the making.

We’re thrilled to announce that “First Saratogians: A History of the Indigenous People of the Saratoga Springs Region” is officially open to the public! This dynamic and updated exhibition brings to life the rich, complex, and often overlooked history of the Mohican, Mohawk, and Abenaki peoples—those who first called this land home.

What You'll Discover:

• The sacred significance of High Rock Spring, known to Native people as the Medicine Spring of the Great Spirit

• How Native communities thrived, adapted, and resisted through waves of European colonization

• The personal stories of remarkable figures like Kateri Tekakwitha, Sir William Johnson, Sam Hill, and George Crum

• The truth behind Saratoga’s Indian Encampments, and how culture was used both to survive and to resist erasure

• A modern reckoning with the representation of Native people in art, media, and public memory—including a look at Saratoga’s city seal

With rare artifacts, powerful imagery, interactive panels, and contributions from Native educators and historians, this is not just an exhibit—it’s an invitation to rethink the very foundation of local history.

Location: 3rd Floor Gallery, Saratoga Springs History Museum
Open Daily | Included with Museum Admission

Don’t miss this transformative experience. Come honor the voices, resilience, and living legacy of Saratoga’s First Peoples.

Land Acknowledgement

The Saratoga Springs History Museum recognizes that the Saratoga Springs area is a part of a large area of land cared for by Indigenous people for the past 10,000 years. The Mohican, Kanienʼkehá:ka (Mohawk) and Abenaki people resided here and regarded the area as sacred. Because of the mineral springs with healing waters, it was considered an area of peace to be shared by all. 

The Mohican People lived here for at least 10,000 years, followed by the Kanienʼkehá:ka perhaps 1,500 years ago and then the Abenaki. These people were forced from their ancestral lands by colonial settlers and removed to reservations far from their homes.  Many Indigenous people did remain or return to the area and utilized the tourist trade for sources of income, on their own lands.

The History Museum, Saratoga Springs and the mineral springs reside on these sacred lands. Today we share this area with the Indigenous people who have called this home for over 10 millennia and acknowledge the Saratoga Springs area as the home of Mohican, Kanienʼkehá:ka, and Abenaki People.

We thank our Native American partners who advised and guided us through the two year process of constructing this exhibition: N’Dakinna Education Center – Joe, Jesse and James Bruchac; Brian McCormack of Thunderhawk Living History School; Kay Olan and Justin Crowfox Haner.