Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower

Rising to a height of 168 feet, Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower is the most prominent landmark in Jefferson. Built in 1966 and one of four carillons in Iowa, this monumental tower is located on the grounds of the Greene County Courthouse and features a four-octave, 47-bell carillon that plays the Westminster Chimes every 15 minutes and two prerecorded songs after every hour. Performers play the carillon every day between Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend from 12:15-12:30. Visitors can go up to the 128-foot high observation deck which provides sweeping views of the city and surrounding countryside. The tower was a gift to the city from Floyd and Dora Mahanay who left funds for te project in their wills.

Floyd Mahanay was a very successful local businessman. He was born in Jefferson on February 21, 1886 and spent his childhood in a number of places including Pensacola, Florida. His father, who was a Blacksmith, died when he was one years old; his mother passed away when he was 21. Floyd's business career began in Pensacola where he opened the city's first cash store with only $200. He later worked at a drug company in Omaha, Nebraska and then a mercantile store in Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska. He met Dora while working at the store and they got married in 1925. They did not have children.

On one of their trips to Florida, they visited the Bok Memorial Carillon Tower in Lake Wales. This is perhaps where Floyd's love of carillons originated and when he decided he wanted Jefferson to have one. Floyd and Dora never told anyone about the idea. As a result, after she died in 1962 (Floyd died in 1947 in Palm Beach, Florida), the news surprised everyone. Reaction to it was mixed. While some residents liked it, others thought the Mahanay's money should be spent on something more useful like a school. In the end, however, the issue was settled when it was decided to build a much-needed elevator in the courthouse as part of the tower's construction cost. That included setting aside an entire room on the top floor of the courthouse to house the tower's control equipment.

When the tower was completed, it only had 14 bells and the rest were not added until about fifty years later. As a result, the tower was a true carillon as it could not play music and was essentially a large chime (a carillon must have at least 23 bells to play music). The music that did play came from loudspeakers. Calls for additional bells to be added began in 1986 but they were finally installed in 2017. The tower is a contributing property of the Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Bell tower named Iowa's top tourist attraction." The Jefferson Herald. April 28, 2021. http://beeherald.com/news/bell-tower-named-iowa%E2%80%99s-top-tourist-attraction.

"History of the Tower." Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower. Accessed October 28, 2021. https://www.mahanaybelltower.org/about-us/history-of-the-tower.

Jacobsen, James E. "Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 22, 2011. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IA/11000503.pdf.

Reece, Paula. "Trip on a Tankful: Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower in Jefferson." Des Moines Register. May 31, 2021. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/life/2021/05/31/trip-tankful-mahanay-memorial-carillon-tower-jefferson-lincoln-highway-arcy-things-to-do/7428945002.