For such a small state, Rhode Island certainly has more than its fair share of mysteries. From our creepy vampire past to our disturbing unsolved mysteries, there’s no denying that a lot has happened here. However, the mystery of the Newport Tower is definitely one of the top head-scratchers in all of New England — and it’s still standing right here in the Ocean State.
The Newport Tower sits in Newport’s Touro Park, where it has remained since the mid-17th century… or so we think.
Jasperdo / Flickr The park was named after Judah Touro, the Newport-born benefactor who funded its purchase by the city in 1854.
The official story is that this tower is simply the remains of an old windmill from the 17th century.
Michelle Marie T. Faucher / Google However, the remains of the tower show archeological signs that it was shaped by much older trans-oceanic influences.
Christopher Columbus has been widely credited with “discovering” America for the European world, but some claim that the Newport Tower discredits that theory.
Dennis Jollimore / Google Believers of this theory note that the Newport Tower strongly resembles Scottish buildings from the 1100s. This indicates that Templar crossed the ocean and settled the land. So, perhaps someone from Europe was here long before Columbus.
Some people also claim to have spotted a celestial alignment to the upper windows, which would imply that the stand was used as an ancient observatory.
Luke Rague / Flickr Four of the eight supporting pillars of the tower face the main points of the compass, and when a Professor of Physics and astronomer at the University of Rhode Island studied the windows in the tower, he found some astronomical alignments. Norse, Chinese, and Portuguese explorers and sailors have also been credited for creating this unique tower, although nothing of the sort has ever been investigated.
Of course, all of these theories have been widely refuted, and none of these hypotheses have been proven.
Judith Klinghoffer / Google But still, the exact origin of the tower remains unknown, so anything is possible.
The tower is located at the upper end of the plot behind what was once a mansion for Benedict Arnold, the first colonial governor of Rhode Island.
Deb Hanson / Google The mansion was destroyed years ago. But Arnold did mention his stone-built windmill in 1677, which is why the Newport Tower is largely accepted as the remains of the windmill.
So, is this a windmill, or a series of intricate clues to the past we’ve never fully deciphered?
Jasperdo / Flickr We may never know for sure.
Do you have a theory on the Newport Tower?
Jasperdo / Flickr
The park was named after Judah Touro, the Newport-born benefactor who funded its purchase by the city in 1854.
Michelle Marie T. Faucher / Google
However, the remains of the tower show archeological signs that it was shaped by much older trans-oceanic influences.
Dennis Jollimore / Google
Believers of this theory note that the Newport Tower strongly resembles Scottish buildings from the 1100s. This indicates that Templar crossed the ocean and settled the land. So, perhaps someone from Europe was here long before Columbus.
Luke Rague / Flickr
Four of the eight supporting pillars of the tower face the main points of the compass, and when a Professor of Physics and astronomer at the University of Rhode Island studied the windows in the tower, he found some astronomical alignments. Norse, Chinese, and Portuguese explorers and sailors have also been credited for creating this unique tower, although nothing of the sort has ever been investigated.
Judith Klinghoffer / Google
But still, the exact origin of the tower remains unknown, so anything is possible.
Deb Hanson / Google
The mansion was destroyed years ago. But Arnold did mention his stone-built windmill in 1677, which is why the Newport Tower is largely accepted as the remains of the windmill.
We may never know for sure.
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Address: 5 Touro Park St W, Newport, RI 02840, USA
