Varnum Continentals

Preserving and Sharing Rhode Island History

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[MARCH 14 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker Jim Egan: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Newport Tower Museum

March 3, 2016 By James Mitchell Varnum

Jim Egan of the Newport Tower Museum, Newport, RI.
Jim Egan of the Newport Tower Museum, Newport, RI.

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Especially one that involves espionage, secret symbols, code words, significant ties to early Colonial history … and is located right in our back yard. At the March Varnum Continentals Member Dinner meeting, we’ll get an insider’s look at the mysterious Newport Tower, the 28-foot high remains of a round stone tower in Newport’s Tuoro Park. In colonial times, the tower had been used as a windmill (owned by RI’s first Governor, Benedict Arnold), a munitions storage facility by the British, and a lookout point by the Americans. But what are its origins?

Theories about the tower’s origins are far-flung, ranging from Medieval Templars to 15th-century Chinese sailors. Nordic and Portuguese explorers are also theorized to be builders of the tower. But Jim Egan of the Newport Tower Museum has his own theory that the tower is the remains of an old fort, built in the late 1500s to be the city-center of a thriving colony, Elizabethan England’s gateway to North America.

Mr. Egan also presents evidence that the tower was built to exacting astronomical alignments that allow the tower to function as a grand time-keeping device, complete with a camera obscura or calendar room.

About the speaker: Jim Egan has worked as a professional photographer in Providence for 30 years. He invented and marketed a line of photographic tools. Jim is a member of the New England Antiquities Research Association and the Renaissance Society of America.

To use a word coined by Buckminster Fuller, Jim considers himself a “comprehensivist,” someone who studies the interrelationships between various fields of study, in this case, mathematics, optics, astronomy, and history.  For more information, go to newporttowermuseum.com. Be sure to view the videos on the site.

LOCATION: Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, East Greenwich, RI.
DATE:
Monday, March 14, 2016
TIME: 5:30 p.m. (social hour); 6:30 p.m. (dinner followed by program)
MENU: St. Patrick’s Day Favorites (Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner) plus Coffee & Pastries
FEE: $15/person

Please RSVP by FRIDAY, MARCH 11, to Scott Seaback at 401-413-6277 or by email at scott@ritemps.com.

Filed Under: Speaking Program, Varnum Memorial Armory Tagged With: jim egan, Newport, newport tower museum, revolutionary war, speaking program, touro park, Varnum Membership, varnum memorial armory

[MAY 8 VARNUM MEMBER MEETING] Speaker Greg Banner on “El Salvador: US participation in a Central American Civil War

May 4, 2023 By James Mitchell Varnum

In 1991, Greg Banner (a US Army Major at the time) was assigned as an advisor in El Salvador. The US had established an advisory team approximately 10 years prior to help that country fight a communist insurgency. Major Banner spent 15 months as the team leader for one of the several district teams living with and helping Salvadoran units fight their war. This presentation will provide some background to the war and then an overview of one soldier’s experiences there, up to and including the peace treaty which was signed at the end of his tour.

About the Varnum Continentals

The Varnum Continentals are committed to the preservation of the historic heritage of our community, our state, and our nation. Please take a virtual tour of our museums to learn more about our mission to encourage patriotism. You can participate with us through active membership and/or philanthropic support in our non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Museum tours are welcomed and our facilities may be rented for suitable events.

Our Mission

The Varnum Continentals are committed to encourage patriotism through the Varnum Armory Museum, the Continental Militia, and the James Mitchell Varnum House and thus to preserve, support, and communicate the military history of our community, our state, and our nation.

Recent Posts

  • [MAY 8 VARNUM MEMBER MEETING] Speaker Greg Banner on “El Salvador: US participation in a Central American Civil War
  • [APR. 10 DINNER MEETING] Speaker Blake Ruehrwein on Monuments Officers of the 21st Century
  • [MAR. 20 DINNER MEETING] Maria Vazquez on Conservation of the USS Constellation Anchor

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