Indian Hill Memorial Park

Indian Hill Memorial Park is located in southern Manlius, New York, in Onondaga County. Indian Hill Memorial Park is the location where the first Catholic Mass was celebrated in the modern United States. The largest population of the Onondaga people lived in Indian Hill Memorial park in 1655. The Indian Hill marker was installed as part of New York's Historic Marker project, which ran from 1926 to 1939. The marker is one of many New York State historic markers in Onondaga County.

Geography
Indian Hill Memorial Park is located on Indian Hill Road West, positioned between Watervale Road and Pompey Center Road, approximately 0.6 miles west of Pompey Center Road. It is found between the two branches of Limestone Creek. Indian Hill Memorial Park is located east of Jamesville Beach Park and west of Cazenovia Lake. The marker is on Indian Hill Road with an address of 8031 Indian Hill Road, Malinus NY, 13104.

Indian Hill Memorial Park can be found by car from Trout Lily Lane via Pompey Center Road.

Indian Hill's close proximity to water was important for the Onondaga civilization because it helped their agriculture and orchards flourish.

Historical context - Onondaga communities
In 1655, French priests came to Indian Hill Memorial Park and celebrated the first Catholic mass. Despite the presence of the priests, the Onondaga people did not preserve any of their traditions. It was only after this visit that the Onondaga Indians were officially recognized as a group.

This mass is largely considered to be the first Catholic mass commemorated in New York state. Following the mass, the priests built a chapel, establishing the "Mission of St. John the Baptist", which spanned from Indian Hill to a point near Jamesville, covering a distance of several miles. This mission was conducted over a period of 27 years, from 1655 to 1681.

In 1696, a French army under Frontenac entered Indian Hill and burned down a number of Onondaga villages.

In 1905, Father George Mahan funded a celebration at Indian Hill Memorial Park to recognize the 250th anniversary of the Mass at the Roman Catholic Church in Pompey Hill where over 2500 people attended.

In 1917, a Roman Catholic service organization, named the Order of Alhambra erected a marker on current day Indian Hill Memorial Park. The marker was erected during a national convention held in Syracuse, NY.

The marker reads,

“Indian Hill

In a bark chapel on this spot

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Was First Offered in New York State

By Rev. Joseph M. Chaumonot

Sunday 14, November 1655

Going Therefore Teach

Ye all Nations

Baptizing Them in the

Name of the Father

And the Son and the Holy Ghost

Teaching Them to Observe all

Things Whatsoever Have Commanded You

St. Matthew XXVII 19-20

Erected by the Order

Of the Alhambra

Anno Domini - MCMXVII”

The “bark chapel” in which the mass was held that is mentioned in the inscription was the home of an Onondaga woman named Teotonhararo, which the marker does not mention.

Controversies regarding the memorial
A controversy associated with Indian Hill Memorial Park is the use of the word “population” to describe the Onondaga Indians in a marker on the site. This is considered to be a loaded word because it limits the history of the Onondaga Indians to Indian Hill, although their history is much more extensive and complicated.

Current uses of Indian Hill
Indian Hill has been used for religious ceremonies in the late 20th century by several catholic churches in the greater Manlius area including the Oran Community Church, Delphi Falls United Church, Pompey Hill United Church, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Indian Hill Memorial Park is home to a variety of wildlife and is a preserved area owned by Save The Country Land Trust. The memorial has been left largely untouched.

Indian Hill Memorial Park is occasionally still used for pilgrimages, interfaith prayer services, and Roman Catholic celebrations.