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The Newport Tower (also known as: Round Tower, Touro Tower, Newport Stone Tower and Old Stone Mill) is a round stone tower located in Touro Park in Newport, Rhode Island (USA), the remains of a windmill built in the mid-17th century. The tower has received attention due to speculation that it is actually several centuries older and would thus represent evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact. Carbon dating shows this belief to be incorrect. == Description == The Newport Tower is located in Touro Park, at the top of Mill Street, surrounded by a historical residential neighborhood on the hill above the waterfront tourist district. Eighteenth-century paintings show that the hill itself once furnished a view of the harbor and would have been visible to passing mariners in Narragansett Bay,〔(Painting attributed to Gilbert Stuart ) (c1770s): Redwood Library and Athenaeum, via chronognostic.org〕 but recent tree growth now obscures the view. The Newport Tower is not exactly circular. From southeast to northwest the diameter reportedly measures , but when measured from east to west, the diameter lengthens to ,〔Holand, Hjalmar R. "America 1355-1364" Duell, Sloan and Pearce (1946)〕 however, the 19th century measurements of the interior gave an east-west dimension of , which was slightly shorter than the north-south measurement of ,〔Rafn, C.C. ( "Americas Opdalgese i det Tiende Aarhundrede" ) Copenhagen, Kvist (1841), via Google Books- accessed 2007-12-11〕〔Mason, George C. ("Old Stone Mill at Newport, R.I." plans and sections ), ''sadly not 100% accurate'' (10 Oct 1878), via Library of Congress- accessed 2007-12-11〕 suggesting that the discrepancies may be due to the unevenness of the rubble masonry. The tower has a height of and an exterior width of . At one time the sides were coated with a smooth coating of white plaster, the remains of which can still be seen clinging to the outer walls. It is supported by eight cylindrical columns that form stone arches, two of which are slightly broader than the other six. Above the arches and inside the tower is evidence of a floor that once supported an interior chamber. The walls are approximately thick, and the diameter of the inner chamber is approximately . The chamber has four windows on what used to be the main floor, and three very small ones at the upper level. Almost (but not quite directly) opposite the west window is a fireplace backed with grey stone and flanked by nooks.〔〔("Unrolled" interior elevation of the Tower ) ''about 1% missing at right end'', chronognostic.org- accessed 2007-12-11〕 A representation of the tower is featured prominently on the Seal and unit patch of the former US Navy vessel, USS ''Newport''. In a document of 1741 the tower is described as "the old stone mill." In 1760 the Tower was used as a haymow, while in 1767 it was described as having been used as a powder store "some time past". De Barres' plan of Newport, published in 1776, marks it as "Stone Wind Mill." During the American Revolution, the tower was used by the Americans as a lookout, and by the British to store munitions. A painting, attributed to Gilbert Stuart, of the tower circa 1777 that shows the Tower roof has long since disappeared.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Untitled )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Newport Tower (Rhode Island)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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