First Mass1749
| Location | Point Pleasant |
|---|---|
| State/Territory | West Virginia |
| County | Mason |
| Modern Diocese | Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston |
| Historical Diocese | Diocese of Quebec |
| Date | 1749 |
| Priest | Fr. Joseph Pierre de Bonnecamp, SJ |
| Religious Order | Society of Jesus (Jesuits) |
| Rite | Roman (Latin) Rite |
| Expedition | Pierre Joseph Celoron de Blainville Expedition — see the full route, Blainville Expedition 1749 → |
| Confidence | confirmed |
Documentation
Notes
"In 1749, as an expedition lead by French explorer Pierre Joseph Celoron de Blainville of New France (Canada) unfolded to claim land along the Ohio River, Masses were celebrated by Jesuit priest, Fr. Joseph Pierre de Bonnecamp, who served as de Blainville’s chaplain, navigator, and secretary documenting the trip and ultimately creating the first official map of the Ohio Valley." Father Bonnecamp journaled that six “Celoron Lead Plates” were buried during the celebrations on the shoreline at the various points where the tributaries met the Ohio River. One was found in Point Pleasant, WV, in 1846, measuring 11 by 7.5 inches, and the inscription claiming the land for France.
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