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Annamaria Dalton (AD)- This is Annamaria Dalton of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and today we’re talking to Jamie Parillo, Executive Director of the Saratoga History Museum located in beautiful Congress Park in Saratoga Springs. Jamie, thanks for joining us. Jamie, can you tell us about the history of Saratoga?

 

Jamie Parillo (JP) – Sure. Saratoga was founded in the late 18^th century mainly because mineral springs that were here attracted visitors. The first European settlers came here in the 1780’s. Even though the Native Americans knew about the mineral springs for hundreds if not thousands of years and thought they had healing powers.  So the first European settlers came here for the same reasons. They set up small communities. But it was just after 1800 that a man named Gideon Putnam came to what is today our central downtown and he built his own tavern and boarding house which he called Putnam’s Tavern and Boarding House. People thought he was crazy because he built it in the middle of nowhere, but he was right next to a mineral spring and when he put this in he had people from all over come to stay with him and drink his spring waters so through the 19^th century and because of his visions the community grew into one of the largest resort communities of the 19^th century. We had the largest hotels in the world, people came to drink the spring waters which were bottled and sent around the entire world and they could play at the race track which was founded in the 1860’s. They could go to the various casinos which were illegal but they still operated out in the open. And the city flourished until the early 20^th century. Through the early part of the 20^thcentury, the city had some problems and there was a downturn in the economy. But it was later in the in the 1960’s and 70’s and then in the 80’s when it really turned around. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center came in, an easement program was established for the preservation of the downtown and to attract businesses and also our City Center was constructed and once this really happened the city has turned around and it is one of the fastest growing communities in the state now. 

 

AD - I think you’re right about that. Well, thanks Jamie. What are the some of the highlights of the museum?

 

JP – Well, our museum is specifically based on the history of the City of Saratoga Springs. We have 3 floors of our exhibits of about 15,000 objects total. And a typical visit lasts about 1 hour. And it starts with an orientation visit which tells you about the history of Saratoga from the Native Americans all the way up through today. As visitors go through the museum we have a rotating gallery which we change about every 6 months. And that focuses on what you have seen in the orientation exhibit and talks about it in greater detail. We also have recreated a Victorian home where we have 7 different rooms from one families furnishings and we try to recreate the way it would have looked to them in the late 19^th century here and it sort of takes the visitors back to 19^th century Saratoga Springs and the way this town was. We also have a high-stakes gambling room. And we are in the Canfield Casino which is an 1870 gambling casino and that recreates the way it would have looked when it was operating in 1870.

 

AD – That’s great. Jamie, in your opinion what are the top historical attractions that a visitor just has to see while here in Saratoga Springs?

 

JP – Well, there are a lot of attractions here in Saratoga Springs. For one thing there are the mineral springs that brought people in the 19^th century and today we have folks come into the museum and all the time and say I heard about the mineral springs and so we give them a cup and tell them to go try the water, and they will go around the town and really try them as it’s what historically put us on the map. We have Congress Park which is right in the center of town; it is a beautiful park and it’s been a park in the city since the 19^th century.  We have numerous museums, we have our museum, the New York State Military Museum, the Saratoga Battlefield which in 1777 was the Turning Point of the American Revolution, in Ballston Spa we have the Brookside Museum, the National Bottle Museum, and in Saratoga Springs we also have Harness Racing Hall of Fame and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. These are all great historical attractions.

 

AD – Well, Jamie, thanks for so much for talking about the history of Saratoga. Visitors can learn more about the Saratoga Springs History Museum by visiting www.saratogahistory.org. This podcast is a production of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. You can learn about Saratoga at www.saratoga.org.