Old Indian Meeting House

Name: Old Indian Meeting House or Old Indian Church
Tribe: Mashpee Wampanoag
Location: 410 Meetinghouse Road, Mashpee, Massachusetts, 02649
Type: Historic Building, National Register of Historic Places
Visiting Info: By appointment or seasonal events
Contact: Website, telephone 508-477-0208 x101

A postcard photo of the Church from 1905

Originally built in 1684 on the site of an even older Mashpee church, the Old Indian Meeting House is the oldest Native American church in the Eastern US and the oldest church on Cape Cod. The Mashpee Revolt led by minister William Apess occurred here in 1833. Even though it is a reminder of the complicated relationship between Native tribes and Christianity, it has functioned as a church, a gathering place, a school, and a burying ground for the tribe for more than 300 years.

The Meetinghouse is open for annual events such as Native New Year (May), Ancestor's Day (September), and Native American Thanks Giving (November), hosted by the Old Indian Meeting House Committee of the Mashpee tribe.



Resources:
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Wikipedia article, "Old Indian Meeting House"
Mashpee Enterprise news article from Dec. 2009, "Mashpee Old Indian Meetinghouse Reopened"
Restoration photos at Keenan + Kenny Architects, Ltd., webpage
Cape Cod Times news article from Dec. 2009, "Mashpee tribe reopens meetinghouse"