A Closer Look at the Mysterious Newport Tower

Photography by Wolf Matthewson

Every year on the winter solstice, the rising sun shines through the south window of the Newport Tower and out the west window in a dazzling display that draws devotees to Touro Park. The astronomical alignment — one of several that occurs throughout the year — was discovered in the early 1990s by William Penhallow, a University of Rhode Island professor with an interest in antiquities. The tower is often described as a stone mill that belonged to Benedict Arnold, the first governor of Rhode Island (and ancestor to the famous traitor), but its age and celestial curiosity have given rise to competing theories. Jim Egan, who owns the Newport Tower Museum across the street and describes his own pursuit of the building’s origins as “relentless,” contends it was built in 1583 by English explorers at the command of John Dee, an advisor to the queen of England. “He was a mathematician, astronomer, an expert on navigation and cartography,” Egan says. Still others claim it’s the work of Vikings or Knights Templar, or Portuguese or Chinese explorers. Regardless of its architect, the tower is one of the state’s oldest standing structures. Egan believes it’s central to the founding of Rhode Island, where freedom of religion in America first took root. “I think it’s a story that Rhode Islanders need to hear,” he says. “It’s a story not only about Rhode Island, but about the birth of America.”