Jefferson, IA - Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower

Completed in October 1966 at nearly 14 stories or 168 feet (51 m) in height, the Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower is named for Floyd Mahanay who left an endowment of $350,000 to have the tower built. However, the funds were not sufficient to provide for a full carillon of bells on top. In 2016, upon the 50th anniversary of the tower being built, $440,905 funds were acquired to add a four-octave, 47-bell carillon at the top of the tower. The bells are expected to be chiming the summer of 2017 and will be operated by a digital piano to give tunes for weddings, birthdays, funerals and even the local high school's fight song after games. For many years, the tower provides the current time with a recording of the Westminister Chimes. An elevator in the tower takes visitors to the observation deck for stunning views of cornfields in 5 Iowa counties. As of 2016, there are more than seventeen other buildings in Iowa taller than the Mahanay Tower: 12 in Des Moines, 3 in Cedar Rapids, and 2 in Davenport.