*Location:

   Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower
   Courthouse Square
   Lincolnway at North Wilson Street
   Jefferson, Iowa, USA
   LL: N 42.01550, W 94.37461

Site locator map

*Player:

   (unknown)

*Contact:

   Mahanay Bell Tower Community Foundation
   Jefferson Municipal Center
   220 North Chestnut
   Jefferson, IA  50129-1900
   T: (515)386-2155
   Carole Custer, President
   T: (515)370-0009
   E: custer@netins.net
   - or -
   City of Jefferson
   T: (515)386-3111   F: (515)386-4671
   E: cjeff@netins.net

*Schedule:

   Quarters; autoplay daily at 11, 2 & 5.
   Tower open
   daily 11am-4pm, Memorial Day to Labor
   Day plus weekends in May and September;
   admission fee.  Other times by
   appointment (call 386-2155).

*Remarks:

   Original added semitones were first
   sharp 4th and flat 7th.
   Expansion to 4 octaves, with tradi-
   tional keyboard, was once envisioned;
   15 (including treble octave) were cast
   & on display in courthouse for many
   years, with 19 yet to be subscribed.
   Bells added in 2017 were cast in
   several years, some by P&F & some by
   Eijsbouts.

*Technical data:

   Electric-keyboard carillon of 47 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is C  in the middle octave
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   Keyboard range:     C C   /    ----  
   There are two missing bass semitones
   The instrument was enlarged in 2017
     with 27 bells made by Eijsbouts   
   Prior history:
     In 1966, the complete instrument of 14 bells was installed
       with bells made by Petit & Fritsen
   Auxiliary mechanisms: Q     
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                  . meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:   48 meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:  50 meters above ground
     Belfry openness:  99%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2017

Additional information on the technical history of this instrument can be found in a database printout.

The city Website has a photo of the tower top and a long description on its home page.

A local tourism page about the tower has a photo gallery including installation of the last bells.

A new interpretive sign was installed in Aug.2020.

A Waymarking page for these bells has 4 photos.

The tower Website reflects that the expansion to 4 octaves was completed May 2017, and lists all of the donors.

A news article (Apr'20) reported plans to play Easter music for a community sing-along.  With a misty photo of the tower.

Photo of tower, with quotes from Tim Verdin
News article with video including drone photos of tower top as bells are being installed on a new (or modified?) frame.
Slideshow of work in progress

News article (26My'17) on imminent installation of 27 new bells.  (But the numbers of new and existing bells don't add up correctly!)

News article (2016) on expected expansion to 47 bells; with large photo of the tower (bells barely visible).

A local news article (Feb.2014) reports the status of the bell frame, with two photos of bells & mechanisms.
Another article on the need for work here

A long page about Greene County includes a very good photo of the top of the tower.

Stock photo of the tower

About the Bell Tower Community Foundation

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all North American non-traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American non-traditional carillons by weight (pitch).
Ranking among all North American non-traditional carillons by year of completion.

Index to all tower bell instruments in IA.

   This page was built from the database on  5-May-18
   based on textual data last updated on 2017/06/30
   and on technical data last updated on 2017/06/30