JEFFERSON, Iowa — If you’re passing through Jefferson on the Lincoln Highway, you can’t miss it.

The Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower stands 168 feet tall in Jefferson. While you can’t miss the tower driving by, a considerable number decide to stop and see what the tower is all about. Three maps in the tower lobby display where visitors come from, whether it be around the state of Iowa, the United States, or even from around the world.

Mahaney Memorial Carillon Tower is one of just four carillon bell towers in the state of Iowa, but it’s the only one with an observation deck and an elevator. That elevator makes the views at Mahanay Bell Tower particularly accessible. Five counties can be seen on a clear day from the 120-foot-high observation deck. Signs on the windows help viewers discern what they’re looking at. Businesses in downtown Jefferson have embraced the tower and those who come to see it by creating rooftop art.

The bells on the tower make up a four-octave carillon. They are controlled and played using an electronic system connected to a keyboard on the tower’s second floor. Around 30 volunteers play tunes and songs at the tower. The Mahanay family requested that about half of the songs played be patriotic or religious.

During the winter months, the tower can only be visited by appointment. Beginning in May, it opens to the general public on weekends. From Memorial Day until October 31st, Mahanay Bell Tower is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM. For more information and to request a tour, you can visit the tower’s website.