by lynn a.
Member since:
December 29, 2006

A Mystery for Curt L. - The Mysterious Tower - The Brother Joseph Series

July 31, 2009 01:39 AM UTC
views: 0 | 1 person recommends this | comments: 54

The Mysterious Tower is located in Touro Park, Newport, Rhode Island.  It is known as the Old Stone Mill, The Viking Tower, The Newport Tower, The Touro Tower.  The theories abound as to who actually built it, and even now it remains a mystery, in spite of studies and testing.

Two theories in particular are the Norse Theory, crediting the Vikings,  and the Colonial/Arnold Theory, or the Arnoldist Theory,  crediting Governor Benedict Arnold, great-grandfather to THE Benedict Arnold of the American Revolution.   Information on the theories and photos are available on the internet.

www.redwood@redwoodlibrary.org.  www.unexplained earth.com, as well as www.roadsideamerica.com.,  and www.island-rhode.com.

This is Brother Joseph's miniature of The Mysterious Tower.  The second photo shows the Tower better.

 

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d823/d838/d745/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d842/d838/d745/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

 

Comments: 54

William Dotani Jul 31, 2009, 3:01am UTC
This really is strange. I'd bet on the Vikings.
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:38pm UTC
I would have too, William, but I think Gov. Arnold is the real builder. And it probably was a windmill originally. It is made in a style that was done in England and a few other places at the time. Very interesting.
penni d. Jul 31, 2009, 4:38am UTC
I got it!!! Merlin came to America and built a fine tower, but once it was found that he had no green card, he was shipped back to Britain and he couldn't afford to ship his bricks back.....
☃ Shannon K. Wendt Jul 31, 2009, 9:34am UTC
LOL!
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:39pm UTC
You are too funny, penni d. But that's an excellent theory.

Yeah, LOL. I agree with you, Shannon.
Sheila Deeth Aug 6, 2009, 11:10pm UTC
Oh, that's fun Penni!
I think its a tower for sun baking trolls!
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:39pm UTC
Sun baking or sun bathing?
Either or both.
Kushal Poddar Jul 31, 2009, 7:45am UTC
Let us tie all our inner evils there and post a no entry board.

,

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977757662



a car named belief
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:40pm UTC
Great idea, Kushal. I'd like to lock up all my inner evils in one place and know that they couldn't get loose.
Deb J. Jul 31, 2009, 7:50am UTC
Wow...this is a good question lynn...cool pics though...never seen anything like it!!!
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:46pm UTC
I hadn't either, Deb. They actually did carbon testing and still can't get conclusive evidence that all the scientists will agree on.
Deb J. Jul 31, 2009, 12:59pm UTC
You sure do come up with some good ones lynn!!!
flit . Jul 31, 2009, 8:37am UTC
that is such an interesting place
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:47pm UTC
Yes it is.
Elaine K. Jul 31, 2009, 9:03am UTC
Wow, until now I had never heard of the Mysterious Tower. How interesting.

Love the pictures Lynn! What an interesting place to explore!
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 12:48pm UTC
Thanks, Elaine. I'd never heard of it either until a few months ago, and then when I saw Bro. Joseph's miniature, just had to look into it again. I learned a lot of history reading all the different articles about it and other similar construction. Henry Wadsworth Longellow actually mentioned it in a poem he wrote.
I had never heard of the tower until this article..that Bro Joseph sure got around
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 2:02pm UTC
Katherine, he did it all from photographs and articles he read.
Marge H. Jul 31, 2009, 2:02pm UTC
I had never heard of it either. It sounds like Brother Joseph was a fascinating man as well as a talented artist.
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 3:41pm UTC
Marge, I think he was. I may be incorrect, but don't get the impression he had a really good education growing up, and he was a sickly, fragile child. But when it came to building, he was a true artist. I wish I had had a chance to meet him and know him.
Sheila Deeth Aug 6, 2009, 11:11pm UTC
I'm so glad you've introduced us to him Lynn.
Donald M. Jul 31, 2009, 5:36pm UTC
I agree he was certainly a true Artist. His work is so beautiful. I would love to have been able to seen it in person. That is when you can get the full facination of art.
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 6:44pm UTC
Norma, you are so right. Pictures are great, but seeing something in person is so much better. I wish you could have been there with us.
Donald M. Jul 31, 2009, 7:50pm UTC
I wish I could too Lynn, that would have been great. Then you could have given me a history lesson while we were walking.
JoAnn C. Jul 31, 2009, 6:25pm UTC
I've been to Newport but not to the park. I'll have to remember this if I ever go back. Brother Joseph's is impressive.
lynn a. Jul 31, 2009, 6:45pm UTC
Just don't forget, it's in Touro Park, and the view of the water used to be able to seen at one time, but one of the articles I read said the tree tops had it blocked from view. Hope you take pictures when you get there. This is a miniature.
Roy ☯ Hilbinger Jul 31, 2009, 7:11pm UTC
Lynn, it's probably been about 200 years since you could see Newport Harbor from the tower. Some of the houses that block the view are at least that old. Now that I think of it, so are some of those oaks!
Roy ☯ Hilbinger Jul 31, 2009, 7:09pm UTC
Heh, heh! Living about a 5 minute walk from the tower, I have to say that Brother Joseph did an amazingly good job on his miniature version.

I'm with the majority view - the original Arnolds built this for use as a windmill. I hung out with the Danish archaeological team who came to do a thorough inspection of and dig around the tower. Their conclusion was that there's nothing Viking about the tower. I know some followers of Asatru (a modern revival of the old Norse religion) who claim there are runes written on the inside of the tower; I was in there with the Danish team, and there aren't.
lynn a. Aug 1, 2009, 9:39am UTC
Roy, wow, getting to be in on the inspection must have been quite an eye-opener, if only in cementing the facts and obvious that you already knew. And while I read about trees blocking the view, I did not read about the 200 year old houses. Bet one could spend a day just walking around to see the tower and the area it's in.

Thanks for all the information. If we ever actually get to New Hampshire, this is one place I definitely want to visit.

Are there stairs so people can go up on the second level? The windows on the second floor kept getting mentioned, but it wasn't very clear if there was access, of if that's the way the tower used to be. And do you have any ideas about what happened to the windmill?
Roy ☯ Hilbinger Aug 1, 2009, 9:55am UTC
Well, if you go to New Hampshire you won't find it. Heh, heh! This Newport is in Rhode Island!

You can't go onto the tower itself; it's fenced off. There are holes in the interior stonework that give you an idea where there was a wooden stairway, but it no longer exists. As for when it stopped being a windmill, I don't know.
lynn a. Aug 1, 2009, 11:21am UTC
Roy, there I go again. I swear I think I have a brain disorder. I'm very likely to call purple - orange, dog - cat, squash - eggplant. Eardropping for eavesdropping, key hole - eye hole. It's not alzheimer's because this has been from birth. My husband seems to know my language. And with him, pointing works much better than words. But promise I knew it was in Rhode Island. This tells me I'm going to have to sit on articles and have someone else proofread for these mistakes. Thanks for pointing it out. Somehow I knew I was getting worse at this but hadn't quite gotten to the point of paying attention yet. No doubt this will help me not make that huge mistake that could really get me.

Life is hard as a word switcher. Fortunately most of my bosses seemed to adjust and communication was still doable. My husband is a professional at it. I do throw my daughter for a loop from time to time. And the dogs just don't seem to care at all.
Sheila Deeth Aug 6, 2009, 11:13pm UTC
Another word-switcher! Hurray! Word-switchers unite.
lynn a. Aug 7, 2009, 12:41am UTC
Does this mean I am not alone? Sheila, I am thrilled, and to be in such good company! Thank you. Thank you for telling me.
Donald M. Jul 31, 2009, 7:54pm UTC
Was this in Alabama?
lynn a. Aug 1, 2009, 9:40am UTC
Yes, this was at the Grotto.
Elsie Duggan Aug 1, 2009, 12:34am UTC
This is truly amazing how this is replicated. It is a great piece of work Lynn, and I would bet on the Arnolds too, They were a prominent family .
lynn a. Aug 1, 2009, 9:44am UTC
Can you imagine trying to build this on a farm today? Especially when the walls are 3ft thick!

Yes, from what I've read, I think it was probably built by the Governor. Fun to think the Vikings could have done it though.
Curt L. Aug 1, 2009, 3:36pm UTC
Fascinating, intriguing and now I've another site I'd like to visit! :-)
Thank you so much, Lynn!
lynn a. Aug 1, 2009, 3:42pm UTC
Curt, you are very welcome, and with a title starting with Mystery or Mysterious, you just know that this had to be for you. LOL. The Mystery Man himself. Hope it gave you a big, big smile.
Wilma M. Aug 2, 2009, 2:24pm UTC
Neat pictures! What a lot of work went into all of that. Interesting facts from Roy, too!
lynn a. Aug 2, 2009, 3:17pm UTC
Thanks, Wilma. Roy lives close by. How cool is that. Hope he writes an article about it someday.
Mustafa Demiri Aug 3, 2009, 7:38pm UTC
What a fascinating discovery for many of us! Thanks, Lynn! I love speculating over these ancient mysteries, however impossible it may be to ever learn the truth about it. I, however, favour the Viking theory, though the colonist theory is the more plausible. Thanks again for this image from your adventure.
lynn a. Aug 3, 2009, 7:52pm UTC
Mustafa, I agree with you, lol. The Viking theory is far more tantalizing, but Arnold probably did it. Did you know those walls are 3 ft thick! Maybe some day you will be able to see it in person. We can hope.
Mustafa Demiri Aug 3, 2009, 8:12pm UTC
If ever I plot a New England adventure for the family, I will certainly try to find time to see this. I hope you are enjoying yourself. Bon Voyage to you and your fellow travelers!
Sassy *bacon makes me happy* Cat Aug 3, 2009, 10:14pm UTC
wow, I'd never heard of that. It makes sense that it would have been a windmill
lynn a. Aug 4, 2009, 10:19pm UTC
Do you have windmills in your area, Sassy?
Kat W. Aug 4, 2009, 10:13pm UTC
I've never heard of this before. Interesting!
lynn a. Aug 4, 2009, 10:20pm UTC
Thanks, Kat. And by the way, nice to meet you. I've seen some of your posts and been quite impressed. I follow Human Katherine around sometimes. She seems to know exactly where the best stuff is.
Patti M. Aug 9, 2009, 2:37pm UTC
This is very interesing. I love history. Brother Joseph was relly busy. I was unaware of either until now. That's why I love history. It's so full of surprises.
Patti M. Aug 9, 2009, 2:37pm UTC
Thank you for your comment on my post.
Beth G. Sep 13, 2009, 7:27pm UTC
This is very cool, I can only imagine how old this really is.
Connie C. Nov 16, 2009, 4:11pm UTC
That is so cool. I can't see the first photo but the second one is great.

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