Prior to the arrival of the first Dutch settlers, the indigenous people who lived along the shores of Little Neck Bay were the Matinecocks of the Algonquin nation. Their name translates to "People of the Hilly Place." The Matinecock history is both long and tragic as the final bloody battle for their homeland, waged by the Englishman Thomas Hicks in 1656, decimated their existence.

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For an in-depth look at the Matinecocks and artifacts from the pre-colonial era, please visit our current exhibition entitled Native Bayside located in the upstairs South Gallery at the Bayside Historical Society.