1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,680 Previously on America Unearthed. The hot text proves that the Knights Templar 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:06,260 came to America before Columbus. 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,820 I believe the Templars evolved into modern day Freemasonry. But there's one 4 00:00:10,820 --> 00:00:13,500 piece to this puzzle, the Newport Tower. 5 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,540 The history that we were all taught growing up is wrong. 6 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,240 My name is Scott Wolfe, and I'm a forensic geologist. 7 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,220 There's a hidden history in this country that nobody knows about. 8 00:01:15,500 --> 00:01:19,820 There are pyramids here, chambers, tombs, inscriptions. 9 00:01:20,140 --> 00:01:21,620 They're all over this country. 10 00:01:22,500 --> 00:01:25,960 We're going to investigate these artifacts and sites, and we're going to 11 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:26,960 the truth. 12 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,240 Sometimes history isn't what we've been told. 13 00:01:53,290 --> 00:01:58,290 Rhode Island is the smallest U .S. state, but home to one of America's 14 00:01:58,290 --> 00:01:59,290 mysteries, 15 00:01:59,750 --> 00:02:01,970 the Newport Tower. 16 00:02:04,790 --> 00:02:08,530 28 feet tall and made of thousands of intricately placed stones. 17 00:02:09,490 --> 00:02:12,610 No one knows who built it, when, or why. 18 00:02:15,090 --> 00:02:19,970 Some people think it's a colonial -era windmill or watchtower, but I don't 19 00:02:19,970 --> 00:02:21,910 it looks anything like colonial architecture. 20 00:02:23,310 --> 00:02:27,430 I think it's proof an ancient group of explorers sailed here from Europe in the 21 00:02:27,430 --> 00:02:30,630 1300s. They're called the Knights Templar. 22 00:02:38,210 --> 00:02:42,530 The Order of the Knights Templar was created by the Catholic Church in the 23 00:02:42,530 --> 00:02:45,410 century to protect Jerusalem during the Crusades. 24 00:02:46,850 --> 00:02:49,830 But during that time, they became increasingly powerful. 25 00:02:50,110 --> 00:02:52,310 Too powerful, according to the King of France. 26 00:02:54,250 --> 00:02:57,330 He banned the order and had many of the knights executed. 27 00:03:01,550 --> 00:03:05,570 But others are said to have fled with something that I think is very important 28 00:03:05,570 --> 00:03:06,570 to Christian beliefs. 29 00:03:08,270 --> 00:03:09,530 The Holy Grail. 30 00:03:10,750 --> 00:03:15,430 The Grail is thought to be the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, or 31 00:03:15,430 --> 00:03:17,530 perhaps symbolized hidden secrets. 32 00:03:18,770 --> 00:03:21,450 I think the Templars brought the Grail to North America. 33 00:03:21,870 --> 00:03:24,110 and the Newport Tower is proof that they were here. 34 00:03:25,890 --> 00:03:30,630 It's an explosive theory, and it's brought me head -to -head with academics 35 00:03:30,630 --> 00:03:36,150 experts like Jim Egan, curator of the Newport Tower Museum and an authority on 36 00:03:36,150 --> 00:03:37,150 the structure. 37 00:03:37,570 --> 00:03:42,630 If I can convince Jim that I'm right, then maybe academics can be convinced 38 00:03:44,170 --> 00:03:49,350 This is no question my favorite pre -Columbian site in North America. Pre 39 00:03:49,350 --> 00:03:51,250 -Columbian? You still into that Templar thing? 40 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:54,080 Yes, I definitely am. 41 00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:59,160 And, I mean, come on, Jim, take a look at it. They built many churches in 42 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:04,120 exactly like this. Oh, really? Okay. And you've got the round cylinder sitting 43 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:09,780 on eight round heavy columns, equally spaced, the round Romanesque arches, and 44 00:04:09,780 --> 00:04:14,400 the capstone ledges clearly for structural support for a first -story 45 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,300 ambulatory all around the building. 46 00:04:16,970 --> 00:04:21,810 It's exactly identical to what they built in the 12th century, and they 47 00:04:21,810 --> 00:04:22,810 here, of course. 48 00:04:23,910 --> 00:04:27,570 There are many churches in Europe with connections to the Templars. 49 00:04:27,970 --> 00:04:33,190 They incorporate architectural elements also found in the Newport Tower, and 50 00:04:33,190 --> 00:04:35,650 they were built at the time when the Templars were around. 51 00:04:36,950 --> 00:04:38,650 Mellifont Abbey in Ireland. 52 00:04:39,510 --> 00:04:42,430 The Round Churches throughout Bornholm in Denmark. 53 00:04:43,050 --> 00:04:45,350 And the Cambridge Round Church in England. 54 00:04:47,150 --> 00:04:49,530 But Jim Egan has a different idea. 55 00:04:50,390 --> 00:04:53,850 Everyone comes to the tower with their own theory. But I studied Rhode Island 56 00:04:53,850 --> 00:04:57,890 history, and I came across a chapter in Rhode Island history that very few Rhode 57 00:04:57,890 --> 00:04:59,010 Islanders even know about. 58 00:04:59,450 --> 00:05:00,990 You still on that John Dee thing? 59 00:05:01,210 --> 00:05:02,610 Well, I am, as a matter of fact. 60 00:05:04,430 --> 00:05:07,310 I've come across John Dee in my investigations before. 61 00:05:07,830 --> 00:05:10,150 He was a talented man of many trades. 62 00:05:10,910 --> 00:05:15,970 Astronomer, mapmaker, and advisor to Queen Elizabeth in the late 1500s. 63 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:22,200 Jim says that Dee designed the tower in 1583 and had it placed in Newport to 64 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,020 help the Queen establish a land claim here in America. 65 00:05:25,420 --> 00:05:26,880 But I don't buy it. 66 00:05:28,140 --> 00:05:32,460 This fellow John Dee was not only the navigational guide, he was the architect 67 00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:37,100 of this entire plan to colonize the New World, and I'd claim he was the 68 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:38,100 architect of the tower. 69 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:43,000 Jim, I know you like this 1583 date, but there's no way that the tower was built 70 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:48,360 then. Why? I found a map that has the tower on it that dates to 1569. 71 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:54,120 This map was drawn by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. 72 00:05:54,970 --> 00:05:57,750 And it was one of the most significant maps of its time. 73 00:05:58,550 --> 00:06:02,910 And he was the first one to coin the term Atlas for a collection of maps. 74 00:06:03,590 --> 00:06:09,250 And we have what is a sort of crude depiction of the northeast coast of 75 00:06:09,250 --> 00:06:12,530 America. But here we have Narragansett Bay. 76 00:06:12,890 --> 00:06:18,310 And take a look right there on the east side of the bay in an area roughly in 77 00:06:18,310 --> 00:06:19,310 the area of Newport. 78 00:06:19,610 --> 00:06:21,330 Looks to me like a church. 79 00:06:22,250 --> 00:06:24,970 looks very similar to the Newport Tower. 80 00:06:27,030 --> 00:06:30,950 Well, why would he draw a square tower instead of a round tower if this is a 81 00:06:30,950 --> 00:06:34,930 depiction of the map of that tower? Well, this has got a conical -shaped 82 00:06:34,930 --> 00:06:38,290 here, so that indicates to me that it's a cylinder and that it's round. 83 00:06:38,670 --> 00:06:45,110 We have a stone tower that appears to have a first -story ambulatory around 84 00:06:45,110 --> 00:06:46,110 tower. 85 00:06:46,590 --> 00:06:48,490 It's an exact duplicate. 86 00:06:49,340 --> 00:06:54,140 of Cambridge Round Church, which looks exactly like that, but still has the 87 00:06:54,140 --> 00:06:55,140 ambulatory attached. 88 00:06:55,560 --> 00:07:01,040 The fact that we have the tower depicted on this map proves that the tower was 89 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:05,440 here before 1569. I think it was here long before that, but clearly it's 90 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,720 depicted here on a map prior to John Dee and your whole thesis. 91 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,840 That's just sort of representation of cityness. It has nothing to do with the 92 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:14,840 tower. 93 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:19,220 I think that maybe what we should do at this point is just respectfully agree to 94 00:07:19,220 --> 00:07:21,200 disagree. I'll agree with that. 95 00:07:22,860 --> 00:07:27,860 Even if the map evidence didn't convince him the advantage I have over Jim is 96 00:07:27,860 --> 00:07:28,920 that I'm a geologist. 97 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:30,540 I know rocks. 98 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,960 Of course, being a geologist, as you know, the things that I'm going to 99 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:38,040 gravitate to are... The rocks. The rocks, yeah. And, you know, I've been 100 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:42,580 lot of research into different aspects of this, as you have, and I'm very 101 00:07:42,580 --> 00:07:47,200 interested in the two keystones, the only prominent keystones in the tower, 102 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:51,660 egg shape here and the notch keystone on the outside. 103 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,980 Keystones often have a special shape. 104 00:07:55,460 --> 00:07:58,780 They're used in buildings to connect the center of an archway. 105 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:03,840 They also have an architectural purpose and sometimes serve as a signature of 106 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:04,840 the builder. 107 00:08:06,620 --> 00:08:11,680 I will agree that these rocks are significant. This egg -shaped rock here 108 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,960 very significant because, as you know, on the winter solstice, the sun comes up 109 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:20,600 and about a half an hour after it shines through the west window, it illuminates 110 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:23,600 that rock with a box of light on it. Very dramatic. 111 00:08:24,220 --> 00:08:27,900 It is a very important thing in the sense that this building is a calendar. 112 00:08:28,330 --> 00:08:31,670 Not only to keep track of all of the days of the year, but most importantly, 113 00:08:31,850 --> 00:08:36,470 days like Easter. And you know what the symbol for Easter is that goes all the 114 00:08:36,470 --> 00:08:37,770 way back to the Mesopotamian times? 115 00:08:38,730 --> 00:08:39,730 The egg. 116 00:08:41,049 --> 00:08:46,510 I don't really think that John Dee was related at all to the Templar. They have 117 00:08:46,510 --> 00:08:48,210 the same tradition of sacred knowledge. 118 00:08:48,570 --> 00:08:50,550 And you don't think there's a connection at all? 119 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:55,400 Well, the Templars pretty much got obliterated, most of them, in the 1300s. 120 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:56,400 John Dee was 1500. 121 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:57,980 We're talking 250 years later. 122 00:08:59,020 --> 00:09:02,440 You mentioned that the Templars were put down and destroyed, right? Right. 123 00:09:02,780 --> 00:09:06,640 Okay, you understand the concept that you can kill people, right? Right. But 124 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,020 you think you can kill an ideology or a belief system? Sure, again, they come 125 00:09:10,020 --> 00:09:11,020 and go all of the time. 126 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:15,400 Well, I maintain that that ideology continued on in secret. 127 00:09:15,820 --> 00:09:19,740 And the information is out there, and more and more of this information about 128 00:09:19,740 --> 00:09:23,560 these secret societies that evolved from the Knights Templar. 129 00:09:24,810 --> 00:09:28,510 I think the Freemasons are the modern -day keepers of Templar secrets. 130 00:09:29,570 --> 00:09:34,650 Many of our nation's founders, such as Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and 131 00:09:34,650 --> 00:09:36,470 George Washington, were Freemasons. 132 00:09:37,350 --> 00:09:42,870 The society still exists today, with many prominent men continuing these 133 00:09:42,870 --> 00:09:43,870 traditions. 134 00:09:44,370 --> 00:09:48,990 And we see a lot of symbols in our society that I think are shared by both 135 00:09:48,990 --> 00:09:50,750 Templars and the Freemasons. 136 00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:56,890 To me, this is all evidence that their ideology lived on beyond the people that 137 00:09:56,890 --> 00:09:57,890 started it. 138 00:10:00,030 --> 00:10:04,310 I'm convinced this is a Templar structure. It's got the architecture 139 00:10:04,310 --> 00:10:08,350 on. It's got the archaeoastronomy features that we know the Templars 140 00:10:08,350 --> 00:10:11,470 and would incorporate into their ancient structures. 141 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,400 We've got the solar alignments and, of course, the illumination. We've got 142 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:21,420 symbolism. You've got the egg shape, the Master Mason's keystone. We read 143 00:10:21,420 --> 00:10:22,560 different ways, but that's okay. 144 00:10:22,780 --> 00:10:25,500 But there's something else about the Templars that's very important. 145 00:10:25,820 --> 00:10:28,200 They had a reverence for the planet Venus. 146 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,700 Venus to them and to many other ancient cultures was a physical manifestation of 147 00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:34,700 the goddess in the heavens. 148 00:10:34,860 --> 00:10:36,100 Very, very important. 149 00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:39,320 So if this was a Templar structure... 150 00:10:39,620 --> 00:10:43,300 There should be Venus alignments in this tower, and that's what I want to try to 151 00:10:43,300 --> 00:10:45,520 test. I'd like you to help me take some measurements tomorrow. 152 00:10:45,740 --> 00:10:48,460 Are you up for it? Let's give it a test. I'll bring my ladder. Hey, thanks a 153 00:10:48,460 --> 00:10:50,460 lot, Joe. We'll see you in the morning. See you in the morning. Take it easy. 154 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,580 It's been almost five years since I started thinking there could be Venus 155 00:11:13,580 --> 00:11:14,780 alignments in the tower. 156 00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:19,080 I seem to find clues to my Templar theory every time I'm here. 157 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,720 I should have known this trip would be no different. 158 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:52,300 Hey, Paul, this is Scott Walter. Hey, Scott. 159 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:55,500 Hey, listen, do you remember that piece of Cumberland that we looked at in your 160 00:11:55,500 --> 00:11:56,500 house that night it was there? 161 00:11:56,820 --> 00:11:58,720 Yes. Where did you find that again? 162 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:06,780 Well, I found that on an island north of Newport called Prudence 163 00:12:06,780 --> 00:12:07,780 Island. 164 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:08,960 Prudence Island. 165 00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:11,740 Well, I tell you what, I think I just found a piece. 166 00:12:11,940 --> 00:12:14,780 I know I found a piece here in the Newport Tower. 167 00:12:15,260 --> 00:12:16,260 Really? 168 00:12:17,550 --> 00:12:21,950 Well, I have some ideas. Could we maybe go there and take a look and see if we 169 00:12:21,950 --> 00:12:23,470 can find another piece? Yeah, sure. 170 00:12:24,150 --> 00:12:26,570 Sure. Where do you want to go? As soon as possible. 171 00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:40,910 The Newport Tower in Rhode Island is a mysterious structure. 172 00:12:41,590 --> 00:12:46,150 I believe it proves that some of the history we've been told about America 173 00:12:46,150 --> 00:12:47,790 who discovered it. is wrong. 174 00:12:50,310 --> 00:12:54,870 I think this tower was built by the Knights Templar in medieval times as 175 00:12:54,870 --> 00:12:56,710 fled Europe with the Holy Grail. 176 00:12:57,930 --> 00:13:02,470 And a key piece to this whole investigation could be a piece of rare 177 00:13:02,750 --> 00:13:07,830 Cumberlandite. I think that finding a single block of it placed in the Newport 178 00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:13,110 Tower is incredibly significant and could be hidden evidence of Templar 179 00:13:13,110 --> 00:13:15,170 and a trademark of their presence. 180 00:13:16,170 --> 00:13:21,290 I'm meeting my buddy Paul, who knows where to find Cumberland and can help me 181 00:13:21,290 --> 00:13:23,730 show how this clue connects with the temples. 182 00:13:46,250 --> 00:13:50,270 Now, we're going to Prudence Island. Prudence Island is the second largest 183 00:13:50,270 --> 00:13:51,730 island in the Bay. 184 00:13:52,230 --> 00:13:56,330 These islands are so strategic and have this rich history, and it certainly 185 00:13:56,330 --> 00:13:59,830 makes sense to me that the Templars would have been exploring all around the 186 00:13:59,830 --> 00:14:03,350 Bay, and they certainly could have found that piece of Cumberlandite that's in 187 00:14:03,350 --> 00:14:04,029 the tower. 188 00:14:04,030 --> 00:14:08,290 So, Scott, why are you so interested in the Cumberlandite? Well, there's a piece 189 00:14:08,290 --> 00:14:13,510 of Cumberlandite in the south column of the Newport Tower. It seems to be 190 00:14:13,510 --> 00:14:14,710 strategically positioned. 191 00:14:15,450 --> 00:14:17,030 And I don't think that's an accident. 192 00:14:17,350 --> 00:14:22,210 And the reason I think that that stone is there is that the Templars who built 193 00:14:22,210 --> 00:14:26,390 the tower, I think, would have revered this stone. And the reason for that, it 194 00:14:26,390 --> 00:14:27,830 has some very unique properties. 195 00:14:30,770 --> 00:14:35,490 Cumberlandite is a magnetic rock formed in only one place, Cumberland, Rhode 196 00:14:35,490 --> 00:14:38,950 Island. Glaciers have moved some of it to Narragansett Bay. 197 00:14:40,010 --> 00:14:44,810 The rock was also thought to have spiritual power and known by some as the 198 00:14:44,810 --> 00:14:47,490 of the Goddess or the Stone of Venus. 199 00:14:47,990 --> 00:14:52,830 Venus and all it represents was important to the Templars, meaning its 200 00:14:52,830 --> 00:14:57,010 in the tower could help prove who built it. If we can find some of this 201 00:14:57,010 --> 00:15:01,970 Cumberlandite here on Prudence Island, this could be another important piece to 202 00:15:01,970 --> 00:15:05,190 the puzzle that ties the Templars with the Newport Tower. 203 00:15:48,140 --> 00:15:49,260 Now you see these rocks. 204 00:15:49,580 --> 00:15:51,360 This is where you'll find it. 205 00:15:52,220 --> 00:15:55,800 So what we're looking for is a black rock with white. 206 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,820 See, these are barnacles. But it looks similar. It's very subtle. 207 00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:08,100 Look at that one. 208 00:16:10,780 --> 00:16:12,360 You know, that feels pretty heavy. 209 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:14,180 And that kind of looks like... 210 00:16:14,690 --> 00:16:18,590 The stuff you have here. You can feel it. Yeah. I think you may have found 211 00:16:19,170 --> 00:16:22,090 Well, I tell you what, let's do the surefire test. 212 00:16:22,470 --> 00:16:29,370 I got the magnet here. Now, it should pull this. It didn't pull that, but 213 00:16:32,150 --> 00:16:33,670 I mean, it's definitely. 214 00:16:34,090 --> 00:16:35,450 Let me see. Yeah. 215 00:16:36,650 --> 00:16:41,750 If the Templars found Cumberlandite here in the bay across from Newport. 216 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,240 it makes sense that they would have used it. 217 00:16:44,460 --> 00:16:48,720 This is because Cumberlandite is sometimes called the Stone of Venus. 218 00:16:49,020 --> 00:16:52,200 And I think Venus was very important to Templar beliefs. 219 00:16:56,140 --> 00:17:00,660 There might be another connection between the Knights Templar and 220 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:05,619 In northern Rhode Island, in Cumberland, where Cumberlandite has been found, 221 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:07,520 there was a Cistercian monastery. 222 00:17:07,980 --> 00:17:10,640 It has since burned down, but... 223 00:17:11,109 --> 00:17:13,270 Aren't the Cistercians and the Templars connected? 224 00:17:14,470 --> 00:17:15,730 Absolutely they are. 225 00:17:16,150 --> 00:17:20,270 And there's a Cistercian monastery here. They're extremely rare in the United 226 00:17:20,270 --> 00:17:24,329 States. And to have one here in Rhode Island, I don't think is a coincidence. 227 00:17:25,170 --> 00:17:31,310 In 1128, the Knights Templar Order was founded by a Cistercian monk, a guy by 228 00:17:31,310 --> 00:17:35,350 the name of St. Bernard de Clairvaux, who wrote the charter for them that was 229 00:17:35,350 --> 00:17:36,790 based on the Cistercian charter. 230 00:17:37,530 --> 00:17:40,530 And that's when they became an official order. Of course, they existed before 231 00:17:40,530 --> 00:17:47,030 that. But to have a Cistercian monastery associated with the 232 00:17:47,030 --> 00:17:51,690 Cumberlandite, to me, can't be a coincidence. And to have the 233 00:17:51,690 --> 00:17:55,750 associated with the Newport Tower, well, everything seems to be connecting. 234 00:17:55,950 --> 00:17:58,990 And that's the reason why this Cumberlandite is so important to me. 235 00:17:59,310 --> 00:18:04,750 So I have a picture of the Cistercian monastery, and I suspect they might find 236 00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:06,470 Cumberlandite in that as well. 237 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,720 Here are those photos of the Cistercian monastery in Cumberland. 238 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:29,840 Look at that. Well, this is perfect. 239 00:18:30,100 --> 00:18:34,540 It looks just like Cistercian abbeys that I've seen before. This is a classic 240 00:18:34,540 --> 00:18:36,220 layout, no question about it. 241 00:18:36,620 --> 00:18:39,880 And this is where the Cumberlandite source was, right? 242 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:41,320 That's right. 243 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,500 What's interesting is that the Cistercians and the Templars had a 244 00:18:45,500 --> 00:18:46,620 with the Virgin Mary. 245 00:18:46,860 --> 00:18:50,920 You can see the name of the monastery is named Our Lady of the Valley. I mean, 246 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:55,820 every one of these monasteries was named in honor of Our Lady. The physical 247 00:18:55,820 --> 00:18:59,540 manifestation of the goddess in the heavens to them was the planet Venus. 248 00:18:59,980 --> 00:19:03,760 And they revered the planet Venus, and they kept full track of its movement. 249 00:19:08,460 --> 00:19:12,660 I believe there's no question that Venus was central to what the Templars 250 00:19:12,660 --> 00:19:13,660 believed. 251 00:19:15,420 --> 00:19:19,480 Cumberlandite was the stone of Venus, and Templar beliefs centered on it. 252 00:19:20,420 --> 00:19:24,980 And I think there are Venus alignments in the Newport Tower that I believe show 253 00:19:24,980 --> 00:19:26,340 that Templars built it. 254 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,660 And now I've got an experiment that could prove it. 255 00:19:49,290 --> 00:19:54,010 I think that the Newport Tower in Rhode Island was built by the 9th Templar long 256 00:19:54,010 --> 00:19:55,530 before Columbus came here. 257 00:19:57,550 --> 00:20:02,150 Now, I'm going to try and prove it. I already know that the style of 258 00:20:02,150 --> 00:20:04,510 architecture matches other Templar structures. 259 00:20:05,430 --> 00:20:10,090 And in the tower, I've discovered the use of Cumberlandite, a rare rock that 260 00:20:10,090 --> 00:20:11,730 symbolizes the planet Venus. 261 00:20:13,150 --> 00:20:16,990 Cumberlandite could be another clue that the Templars were here because of the 262 00:20:16,990 --> 00:20:18,350 rock's connection to Venus. 263 00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:23,940 Venus is a symbol for the female. It was likely an important symbol for the 264 00:20:23,940 --> 00:20:28,040 Templars because it represented something their leadership believed in 265 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:30,820 strongly, that men and women were equal. 266 00:20:31,460 --> 00:20:36,000 These ideas put them at odds with the church and were part of the reason for 267 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,980 their exile and execution in 1307. 268 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:43,980 Because of the importance the Templars placed on Venus, they tracked it in the 269 00:20:43,980 --> 00:20:49,120 sky and used it to orient their churches and other structures as a physical way 270 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:51,500 to represent their revolutionary beliefs. 271 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:55,340 And I think they used Venus alignments in this tower. 272 00:20:55,580 --> 00:21:00,880 Some, including Jim Egan, think I'm wrong. So I have to try and prove that 273 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,280 alignments are really here. 274 00:21:03,340 --> 00:21:07,220 Okay, Jim, so here's what I think is going on on that upper floor. 275 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,920 Now, you see that window right there on the west side? 276 00:21:10,380 --> 00:21:14,040 To my knowledge today, nobody knows why those windows are there, correct? 277 00:21:14,260 --> 00:21:17,900 Not really. There's not much information up there on the second floor. Well, I'm 278 00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:22,240 absolutely certain that those windows were used for making observations of the 279 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,780 planet Venus. Well, what's so special about these windows? I think there's 280 00:21:25,780 --> 00:21:26,780 going on here. 281 00:21:26,890 --> 00:21:31,530 Okay. To many ancient cultures going back thousands of years and certainly to 282 00:21:31,530 --> 00:21:34,290 the Templars, they revered it from a spiritual sense. 283 00:21:34,630 --> 00:21:41,150 Okay. So Venus represents the goddess in the heavens. And so it rises before the 284 00:21:41,150 --> 00:21:45,690 sun and then the sun follows. Many of these ancient structures, they would 285 00:21:45,690 --> 00:21:49,590 actually capture the light of Venus. How do you mean capture it? Well, they 286 00:21:49,590 --> 00:21:53,630 would capture it by focusing it through a very small aperture like we have in 287 00:21:53,630 --> 00:21:54,569 the tower. Yep. 288 00:21:54,570 --> 00:21:57,730 And the light would come through and it would be captured by some type of 289 00:21:57,730 --> 00:22:01,670 receptacle that would reflect that light of Venus and bring the goddess into the 290 00:22:01,670 --> 00:22:06,030 room, so to speak. We might have that. Maybe on the winter solstice, the light 291 00:22:06,030 --> 00:22:11,110 of Venus coming through and possibly being captured in the niche on the west 292 00:22:11,110 --> 00:22:12,930 side above our keystones. 293 00:22:13,580 --> 00:22:14,580 You'll never see that nowadays. 294 00:22:14,820 --> 00:22:18,120 All of these lights are pollution from the city. You're right about that. I 295 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:22,460 think it's going to be very difficult for us to see what they saw going back 296 00:22:22,460 --> 00:22:23,460 the 12th century. 297 00:22:23,660 --> 00:22:28,960 However, what I think we can do is to see if there is an alignment that would 298 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:34,500 allow that to happen. There may be a specific day of the year when that 299 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:39,120 the winter solstice perhaps, where the light will go through that window at an 300 00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:44,190 angle of about 22 degrees, and then the light will... fit the backside of that 301 00:22:44,190 --> 00:22:50,790 niche throughout the six months that venus is in the southeastern sky during 302 00:22:50,790 --> 00:22:55,410 winter anybody looking through that window could make observations of the 303 00:22:55,410 --> 00:22:59,490 venus it would be in a perfect position for that okay for six months when it's 304 00:22:59,490 --> 00:23:03,910 an evening star during the summertime you look through that west window you 305 00:23:03,910 --> 00:23:08,250 could make observations for six months during that time we might also have a 306 00:23:08,250 --> 00:23:12,860 similar type of capture of the light inside of a niche coming from the west 307 00:23:12,860 --> 00:23:17,500 that will come through at roughly the same angle and hit somewhere on the 308 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:21,480 of the tower. But think about this. When we have the light coming from the east 309 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:27,080 and the light coming from the west, it crosses. Not at the same time, but 310 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:31,860 throughout the year, we get this crisscrossing X symbol, which I find 311 00:23:31,860 --> 00:23:32,860 interesting. 312 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:35,500 This cross. 313 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:41,120 which forms an X, is a symbol I've seen on many artifacts that I think were left 314 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:43,120 in America by the Knights Templar. 315 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:48,660 In fact, it was on an artifact called the Narragansett Runestone, only about 316 00:23:48,660 --> 00:23:52,700 miles from here, that was stolen and that state authorities are trying to 317 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:58,220 I think the symbol was the Templars' trademark, and finding it here in this 318 00:23:58,220 --> 00:24:02,400 bay, so close to the tower, is more evidence they were here. 319 00:24:05,290 --> 00:24:09,510 To see if my alignment theory works, I need to measure the angle of the niche 320 00:24:09,510 --> 00:24:10,510 from the window. 321 00:24:11,790 --> 00:24:16,850 I know that Venus appears in the night sky at an angle of around 22 degrees on 322 00:24:16,850 --> 00:24:17,850 the solstice. 323 00:24:20,290 --> 00:24:24,350 And if there's a straight line from the niche up through the window towards 324 00:24:24,350 --> 00:24:28,470 Venus, then it's another clue that the Templars built this tower. 325 00:24:31,270 --> 00:24:33,410 So I'm going to use my Brunton compass. 326 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:38,660 my geologic compass, and I'm going to try to measure that angle. 327 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:51,820 What angle do you get? 328 00:24:54,260 --> 00:24:56,620 That angle's around 25 degrees. 329 00:25:02,700 --> 00:25:05,440 It's a pretty teeny sliver. How are you going to be able to see through that? 330 00:25:10,420 --> 00:25:14,680 The engineering of this tower was very precise, was it not? 331 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:16,260 Yeah, all these things are special. 332 00:25:16,620 --> 00:25:21,000 We've got the alignment of Venus coming through that window down to this niche. 333 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,960 We've got when it's a morning star, when it's an evening star, it comes through 334 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,800 that window up there, down somewhere here on this wall perhaps to that niche, 335 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,040 and it makes an X. And if we can show that. 336 00:25:32,430 --> 00:25:36,490 That'll be another piece of the puzzle that proves that the Templars built this 337 00:25:36,490 --> 00:25:40,350 tower. You know how we're going to figure it out? Well, we have to come 338 00:25:40,350 --> 00:25:42,090 here on the winter solstice. 339 00:25:51,430 --> 00:25:54,210 I'm back in Rhode Island, heading to the Newport Tower. 340 00:25:55,180 --> 00:25:59,320 It's been two months since I was here preparing for what I think is going to 341 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:01,860 a spectacular alignment with the planet Venus. 342 00:26:03,140 --> 00:26:07,720 Clearly seeing Venus in the night sky is important to proving this is a Knights 343 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:08,860 Templar built tower. 344 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:15,360 But during the winter solstice, the stars may only align for a short window 345 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:18,480 time, the days either side of the solstice. 346 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:23,260 Modern ambient light pollution means that the light of Venus won't ever be as 347 00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:24,500 bright as it once was. 348 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:29,820 I'm going to use fog and lasers to show how I think the shafts of light would 349 00:26:29,820 --> 00:26:33,400 have penetrated the window and hit the niches on the tower wall. 350 00:26:41,180 --> 00:26:45,580 You know, Jim, I know you think John Dee built this tower during Elizabethan 351 00:26:45,580 --> 00:26:46,580 times. 1583. 352 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:48,320 But you're wrong. 353 00:26:48,980 --> 00:26:50,100 Well, why? 354 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:53,560 I'm absolutely convinced that the Knights Templar built this tower. 355 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:58,000 And if this Venus alignment works the way I think it will, it's absolutely 356 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,820 to solidify the true history of this tower and who built it. 357 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:03,160 All right, so how is it going to work? 358 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:09,720 We're going to take our laser and put it up inside that niche and shine it up 359 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:12,940 into that window to replicate the light of Venus. 360 00:27:13,220 --> 00:27:17,100 I brought a fog machine, and we're going to fog up the inside of the tower. 361 00:27:17,380 --> 00:27:22,380 So when we get the lasers crossing, we'll be able to see them, and they will 362 00:27:22,380 --> 00:27:23,420 make an X. 363 00:27:24,060 --> 00:27:29,380 That X symbol represents the essence of the ideological belief system of the 364 00:27:29,380 --> 00:27:33,560 people that I believe built this tower, the Knights Templar. In my mind, Jim, 365 00:27:33,620 --> 00:27:37,740 finding this X symbol in the Venus alignment could only be the work of the 366 00:27:37,740 --> 00:27:38,740 Knights Templar. 367 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,340 Let's see what this laser test of the giant X is. 368 00:27:56,860 --> 00:27:57,860 You ready? 369 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:00,540 Yeah. All right, let's do this. 370 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:05,300 All right, green one's on. 371 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:06,999 Position's good. 372 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,060 Hey, look at that. The blue one's on. 373 00:28:09,300 --> 00:28:10,800 Hey, hey, hey. Whoa, look at that. 374 00:28:11,220 --> 00:28:12,600 And there's the X. 375 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:16,000 The Venus alignments cross and make a perfect X. 376 00:28:16,700 --> 00:28:20,560 Nobody but the Templars would design this into a structure like this. 377 00:28:20,910 --> 00:28:24,750 I know. They were the only one with laser light shows back in the 1200s. But 378 00:28:24,750 --> 00:28:27,090 that's what you think is going to happen, that the light's going to shine 379 00:28:27,090 --> 00:28:28,090 through this into here. 380 00:28:28,670 --> 00:28:32,170 Venus is going to be up in a couple of hours. Let's see what actually happens. 381 00:28:32,890 --> 00:28:33,869 All right. 382 00:28:33,870 --> 00:28:35,450 We're going to see the light come through. 383 00:28:36,510 --> 00:28:37,850 You're going to love it. Let's see. 384 00:29:07,980 --> 00:29:11,720 If the weather is clear today, then I can try and prove my theory. 385 00:29:12,060 --> 00:29:14,600 But if it's not, then I could lose my shot. 386 00:29:15,380 --> 00:29:19,320 There's only a few days around the solstice when I think Venus will line 387 00:29:19,420 --> 00:29:20,420 Well, there it is. 388 00:29:20,980 --> 00:29:22,780 We got lucky on the first day. 389 00:29:23,660 --> 00:29:27,820 Do you think the weather's going to hold? Oh, yeah. I tell you what, if the 390 00:29:27,820 --> 00:29:31,440 light comes through the window and hits that niche... 391 00:29:31,690 --> 00:29:35,310 And even if it's close, it basically proves my theory. 392 00:29:35,550 --> 00:29:40,210 But I still think that it's going to rise really low and be low in the sky, 393 00:29:40,210 --> 00:29:44,370 where the sun is about 26 degrees above the southern horizon. I don't think it's 394 00:29:44,370 --> 00:29:45,870 going to go anywhere near your window. 395 00:29:46,150 --> 00:29:49,590 It'll be close, but does it hit it? That's what we've got to find out. 396 00:30:07,470 --> 00:30:09,930 The clouds have moved in. I can't believe it. 397 00:30:11,110 --> 00:30:13,090 Yeah, it's still a little cloudy on the horizon there. 398 00:30:13,590 --> 00:30:16,130 It's starting to brighten up a little bit because the sun's coming up. 399 00:30:19,590 --> 00:30:20,590 Damn it. 400 00:30:22,590 --> 00:30:24,550 It's like these clouds just came out of nowhere. 401 00:30:27,590 --> 00:30:28,590 Damn it. 402 00:30:29,770 --> 00:30:30,790 Well, there's always tomorrow. 403 00:30:31,530 --> 00:30:32,509 All right. 404 00:30:32,510 --> 00:30:34,890 I guess we're just going to have to hope for the sun. 405 00:30:43,630 --> 00:30:48,270 The stars only align for a short window of time right around the solstice. 406 00:30:50,190 --> 00:30:52,610 But the stars aren't aligning for me. 407 00:30:53,890 --> 00:30:58,410 Seeing Venus clearly in the night sky is important to showing other people that 408 00:30:58,410 --> 00:30:59,870 the Knights Templar built the tower. 409 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:18,800 Rained out again. 410 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:20,640 Yeah. Yep. 411 00:31:21,940 --> 00:31:24,540 It's almost 9 o 'clock and it's not going to happen today. 412 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:26,920 We've only got two more days. 413 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,000 Well, I hear it might clear up tomorrow. 414 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:36,720 If I have any chance of convincing Jim and other people that the Templars built 415 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:38,920 this, I need the weather to cooperate. 416 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:54,200 Hey, honey. 417 00:31:54,220 --> 00:31:55,220 Hi, honey. 418 00:31:55,300 --> 00:31:56,360 How's it going out there? 419 00:31:57,520 --> 00:31:58,620 It's going terrible. 420 00:31:59,580 --> 00:32:04,400 This is the fourth damn day in a row of just the worst weather I've ever seen 421 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:05,400 out here. 422 00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:10,780 I mean, it's been cloudy just in the most inopportune time. It's been 423 00:32:10,820 --> 00:32:14,460 and today it's cloudy, raining, and the wind is blowing. 424 00:32:17,260 --> 00:32:20,860 You know, Janet, you and I both know that these Venus alignments are 425 00:32:20,860 --> 00:32:24,440 there. We know the solar alignments are there. And the only people that could 426 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:25,640 have done this are the Templars. 427 00:32:26,100 --> 00:32:30,780 If this weather doesn't clear, though, God, we have to find a way to prove 428 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:32,240 Hang in there. 429 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:33,720 Hopefully it'll clear up tomorrow. 430 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:36,360 Hey, wait a minute. 431 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:38,460 I just noticed something. 432 00:32:39,300 --> 00:32:40,300 What is it? 433 00:32:40,540 --> 00:32:44,800 It's a keystone in one of the archways that has a very specific shape. 434 00:32:46,700 --> 00:32:50,340 I'll tell you what it means. It means that no matter what happens with the 435 00:32:50,340 --> 00:32:54,740 experiment tomorrow, even if we get it or not, I think we have a final piece of 436 00:32:54,740 --> 00:32:56,100 evidence to seal the deal. 437 00:32:58,580 --> 00:33:03,540 I've seen that keystone before, but I just now realize where else I've seen it 438 00:33:03,540 --> 00:33:07,540 and how it might be another important clue to solving this mystery. 439 00:33:45,899 --> 00:33:50,620 Finally, after four days of frustration, looks like we're going to get a clear 440 00:33:50,620 --> 00:33:53,400 day. Yeah, to see Venus is going to slowly rise. 441 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,940 And I think it's going to stay clear because you can see all these other 442 00:33:56,940 --> 00:33:58,920 in the sky. So we should be good. 443 00:33:59,620 --> 00:34:00,740 Let's do it. All right. 444 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,080 Jim doesn't believe the Venus alignment is going to come anywhere close. 445 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:13,139 Like a lot of people, he doubts my theory that the Knights Templar came 446 00:34:13,139 --> 00:34:14,139 built this tower. 447 00:34:14,409 --> 00:34:16,889 But I'm about to try and prove they're wrong. 448 00:34:17,790 --> 00:34:21,929 It's rising a little bit as we speak here in the eastern horizon. 449 00:34:24,850 --> 00:34:29,469 I think Venus is still a little bit low in altitude. 450 00:34:31,050 --> 00:34:34,070 I don't think there's any way this is going to happen. I think it's going to 451 00:34:34,070 --> 00:34:35,810 much more further to the south. 452 00:34:38,270 --> 00:34:39,489 I can see Venus. 453 00:34:39,949 --> 00:34:42,969 If it doesn't hit the niche, it's going to be damn close. 454 00:34:45,260 --> 00:34:49,060 You know what? I think it is a little bit to the south. 455 00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:54,300 I think Venus is off to the right, to the south, a little bit. 456 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:58,520 So it's actually hitting over here, behind me. 457 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:00,700 It's not going to hit my niche. 458 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:02,120 Damn it. 459 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,220 Yeah, it might not have hit your angle that you were talking about, but it 460 00:35:06,220 --> 00:35:08,280 definitely is going to come through that window someplace. 461 00:35:08,980 --> 00:35:13,320 What could explain that is the possibility that... 462 00:35:13,860 --> 00:35:17,960 The precision of these alignments is not the same as it was in the distant past 463 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,740 when this was originally built. Even though we didn't hit it today into the 464 00:35:21,740 --> 00:35:23,700 niche, maybe in the past it did. 465 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:30,080 The axis of the Earth in relation to Venus has changed in the past 500 years, 466 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:33,720 and earthquakes may explain why things no longer line up. 467 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:40,720 The Venus alignment may not have worked exactly like I wanted. 468 00:35:41,210 --> 00:35:45,150 But it's not the only illumination here that tells me the Templars built this. 469 00:36:01,610 --> 00:36:07,130 At 9 a .m., a time when Templar monks would be at prayer, an incredible event 470 00:36:07,130 --> 00:36:08,130 occurs. 471 00:36:08,460 --> 00:36:11,700 The morning sunlight illuminates the egg -shaped keystone. 472 00:36:12,980 --> 00:36:16,720 And I think the way this happens is something only the Templars would have 473 00:36:16,720 --> 00:36:17,720 engineered. 474 00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:55,660 When the sun comes in to this womb, this allegorical womb, with the egg in the 475 00:36:55,660 --> 00:37:01,560 west archway, then the sunlight sends a shaft of light into the womb and 476 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:06,360 allegorically fertilizes that egg on the shortest day of the year. This is very 477 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:11,760 significant. And to the people that I believe built this tower, the Knights 478 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:15,040 Templar, they embraced this sacred feminine architecture. 479 00:37:16,970 --> 00:37:21,410 It's a wonderful allegory marking this important day of the year. 480 00:37:32,170 --> 00:37:37,690 Well, Jim, I think we can agree that this is not a colonial structure and it 481 00:37:37,690 --> 00:37:42,470 goes back at least hundreds of years. Yep, I'm on to that one, Scott. Okay. 482 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:47,080 The more research that's done, the more we're going to learn about this tower, 483 00:37:47,180 --> 00:37:50,600 because I think you'll also agree with me that there's probably things going on 484 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:53,900 in this tower with these heavenly bodies that we don't know about yet. 485 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:56,740 Astronomers, archaeologists, they would have a field day with this. It's 486 00:37:56,740 --> 00:37:59,340 incredible. I don't know why there aren't more of them that study it. I 487 00:37:59,340 --> 00:38:03,540 let's face it. The academic community has dropped the ball, not just with this 488 00:38:03,540 --> 00:38:08,780 Newport Tower, but with many of these ancient sites and artifacts that 489 00:38:08,780 --> 00:38:12,700 that people have been coming to what is now America for thousands of years. 490 00:38:15,370 --> 00:38:19,810 And Jim, I really believe that the society that the Templars envisioned was 491 00:38:19,810 --> 00:38:23,450 eventually laid out by modern Freemasons over a period of centuries. 492 00:38:23,790 --> 00:38:29,250 And those symbols, the signs, are all around us, hidden in plain sight. 493 00:38:33,070 --> 00:38:37,570 While waiting for the weather to clear, I noticed a special stone in the tower 494 00:38:37,570 --> 00:38:41,210 that was in the shape called the Mark Master Mason's Keystone. 495 00:38:42,110 --> 00:38:44,210 It unites the arch and the tower. 496 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:48,720 But it's also a symbol of unity used by the Templars and the modern -day 497 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:52,680 Freemasons, the group who I think carry on Templar beliefs today. 498 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,900 This connection makes me certain that these symbols, like the keystone, are 499 00:38:57,900 --> 00:39:02,220 hidden all over America, sometimes right in front of our eyes. 500 00:39:02,500 --> 00:39:06,820 And I think the Freemasons put this symbol somewhere very important to all 501 00:39:06,820 --> 00:39:07,820 Americans. 502 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:36,100 I've seen that keystone symbol many times, but there's only one way I can 503 00:39:36,100 --> 00:39:37,100 see it. 504 00:39:41,620 --> 00:39:43,580 Hey, Jim. Hey, Scott. How are you? Hey. 505 00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:25,220 Okay, Jim, here's what we're looking for. This is a picture of a keystone. 506 00:40:25,220 --> 00:40:29,480 called a Mark Master Mason's Keystone, and you can see that it's got these 507 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:30,980 notches here up at the top. 508 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:36,920 And if we can find this out here, I think what it would do is not only prove 509 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:41,600 that the Knights Templar and the modern -day Freemasons are connected, but it 510 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:46,600 would also prove that these two orders were responsible for founding our United 511 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:47,840 States itself. 512 00:40:52,060 --> 00:40:53,060 Okay, 513 00:40:59,980 --> 00:41:00,980 Jim, can you... 514 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:38,100 notches at the top, and that was his honor to tie that structure together 515 00:41:38,100 --> 00:41:40,740 structurally and allegorically. 516 00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:47,440 The gold flame represents illumination or enlightenment, which is one of the 517 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:50,620 tenets of the people that I think built this, the Freemasons. 518 00:41:50,900 --> 00:41:54,460 The Templars used the symbol before them, and it's one of the many things 519 00:41:54,460 --> 00:41:59,240 connecting these two highly secretive organizations together through history. 520 00:42:19,340 --> 00:42:23,440 All the clues that I've seen scattered across our nation tell me something 521 00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:27,220 amazing about who I think really shaped our United States. 522 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:33,740 I believe the Templars came to the New World and the Newport Tower is 523 00:42:33,740 --> 00:42:35,020 proof they were here. 524 00:42:35,740 --> 00:42:40,200 I think they came to America in search of religious freedom and to escape 525 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:41,200 persecution. 526 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:46,420 In that way, I think the Templars set the stage for countless others to 527 00:42:46,420 --> 00:42:47,420 for the same reason. 528 00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:51,460 be them Puritan or Quaker, Jewish or Muslim. 529 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:57,460 I think the Templars passed on many of their ideals to the Freemasons, some of 530 00:42:57,460 --> 00:42:59,820 whom were founding fathers of the United States. 531 00:43:00,740 --> 00:43:05,680 By incorporating their unique symbol into one of the most iconic pieces of U 532 00:43:05,700 --> 00:43:11,000 history, I'm certain both the Templars and the Freemasons left no doubt they 533 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:12,900 were instrumental in America's design. 534 00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:28,480 To me, the Templars, whose practices and belief live on in modern Freemasonry, 535 00:43:28,540 --> 00:43:31,120 determine the very destiny of our nation. 536 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,420 Next time on America on Earth. 537 00:43:36,820 --> 00:43:39,420 We found a treasure map here on this island. 538 00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:41,560 Are you telling me you just got a hit for gold? 539 00:43:41,780 --> 00:43:43,200 Holy shit, what is that? 540 00:43:43,500 --> 00:43:44,680 Don't tell me what's a void. 541 00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:47,280 We might have the Holy Grail right down here. 542 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:49,140 Guys, it sounds something. 543 00:43:50,130 --> 00:43:54,550 If you have a mysterious artifact or site I need to see, I want to know about 544 00:43:54,550 --> 00:43:57,830 it. Go to history .com slash unearthed.