Thoughts about the Newport Tower in 1879

-632-

[...] Standing amid the neat, picturesques cottages of today, this mysterious relic of antiquity, so rough and unsightly, seems a striking contrast with all around it. [...] the origin of the ‘Old Mill’ is the theme of endless discussions. Was it built by the English colonists? Did the Indians build it? Was it erected by the Northmen? For what purpose was it constructed? [...]

[...] The ‘Old Mill’ is on elevated ground within the city of Newport, R.I. in an ornamental enclosure called Touro Park [...]

The structure is a ruin. It is simply a roofless, cylindrical stone-wall [...] laid in mortar in the manner technically termed ‘uncoursed rubble work.’ [...]

-633-

[...] The masonry is crude and unsightly. It appears to have been laid by unskilful mechanics, or those at least who worked without proper mechanical implements. The plan, however, is regular and sharply. [...]