Newport Tower: Difference between revisions

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==Origins==
==Origins==


The records of the Newport Tower can be traced back to 1677 at the earliest, in a deed for a cemetery in which the tower was referenced as "the stone mill"; likewise, in the same year, Governor Benedict Arnold referred to the tower as "[his] stone built windmill." <ref name= "Pohl"> Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.</ref> It would make sense for Governor Arnold to construct a Windmill around that time period considering the first and only Windmill on Rhode Island, built under Governor Eaton, had been destroyed by a storm in August, 1675<ref name=" Pohl "> Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.</ref>, just 8 months prior to Governor Arnold's reference to the mill.  However, there is no record of the construction of the tower, or when it was built, which is extremely odd considering how complete colonial era construction records are for Rhode Island.<ref name= "Pohl"> Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.</ref> Coincidently, the scarcely available records from this time indicate that up to the year 1800, both the tower and the land it rested on as belonged to Governor Arnold.<ref name= "Godfrey"> Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,</ref>strengthening the possibility that it was Governor Benedict Arnold who ordered the erection of the tower.  In addition to Governor Arnold's reference to the tower as "his" stone mill in his will, two other documents referenced the structure in that same year (1677),<ref name= "Godfrey"> Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,</ref> however was almost never mentioned again in any sort of document for the next Century.<ref name= "Godfrey"> Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,</ref>
The records of the Newport Tower can be traced back to 1677 at the earliest, in a deed for a cemetery in which the tower was referenced as "the stone mill"; likewise, in the same year, Governor Benedict Arnold referred to the tower as "[his] stone built windmill." <ref name= "Pohl"> Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.</ref> It would make sense for Governor Arnold to construct a Windmill around that time period considering the first and only Windmill on Rhode Island, built under Governor Eaton, had been destroyed by a storm in August, 1675<ref name=" Pohl "> Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.</ref>, just 8 months prior to Governor Arnold's reference to the mill.  However, there is no record of the construction of the tower, or when it was built, which is extremely odd considering how complete colonial era construction records are for Rhode Island.<ref name= "Pohl"> Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.</ref> Coincidently, the scarcely available records from this time indicate that up to the year 1800, both the tower and the land it rested on as belonged to Governor Arnold--<ref name= "Godfrey"> Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,</ref>strengthening the possibility that it was Governor Benedict Arnold who ordered the erection of the tower.  In addition to Governor Arnold's reference to the tower as "his" stone mill in his will, two other documents referenced the structure in that same year (1677),<ref name= "Godfrey"> Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,</ref> however was almost never mentioned again in any sort of document for the next Century.<ref name= "Godfrey"> Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,</ref>

Revision as of 01:58, 9 December 2021

The Newport Tower is roughly a 28 x 24 foot circular tower, sitting upon eight arched pillars. The name Newport Tower comes from the city of Newport, Rhode Island, where the tower is located. Records indicate that the tower was once used as a windmill[1], however there is some credible debate on whether or not the tower was built before its use as a mill. Although no one is certainly sure where the tower came from or who built it, most credible Archaeologists trace it back to the 17th century. On the other hand, some alternative history and Pseudo-Archaeological narratives present the largely unsupported idea that perhaps the tower was built by Vikings, Welsh, Dutch, or even the Templar Knights.

History of The Tower

Origins

The records of the Newport Tower can be traced back to 1677 at the earliest, in a deed for a cemetery in which the tower was referenced as "the stone mill"; likewise, in the same year, Governor Benedict Arnold referred to the tower as "[his] stone built windmill." [2] It would make sense for Governor Arnold to construct a Windmill around that time period considering the first and only Windmill on Rhode Island, built under Governor Eaton, had been destroyed by a storm in August, 1675[2], just 8 months prior to Governor Arnold's reference to the mill. However, there is no record of the construction of the tower, or when it was built, which is extremely odd considering how complete colonial era construction records are for Rhode Island.[2] Coincidently, the scarcely available records from this time indicate that up to the year 1800, both the tower and the land it rested on as belonged to Governor Arnold--[3]strengthening the possibility that it was Governor Benedict Arnold who ordered the erection of the tower. In addition to Governor Arnold's reference to the tower as "his" stone mill in his will, two other documents referenced the structure in that same year (1677),[3] however was almost never mentioned again in any sort of document for the next Century.[3]

  1. ↑ Hertz, Johannes (1997) "Round Church or Windmill? New light on the Newport Tower," Newport History: Vol. 68 : Iss. 235 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/newporthistory/vol68/iss235/2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pohl, Frederick J. “Was the Newport Tower Standing in 1632?” The New England Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1945, pp. 501–06, https://doi.org/10.2307/361066.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Godfrey, William S. “The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island.” American Antiquity, vol. 17, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1951, pp. 120–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/277246,
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