LURAY BELL TOWER
Spatial/elevation data
| Coordinates | N 38.663466° W 78.478833° |
| Elevation | Unknown |
| Location | Virginia
Page County Luray Quad |
Mark description
| Type | Landmark/Intersection Station |
| Setting | Tower |
| Monumented | 1965 by NGS |
| Description (NGS) | NGS Datasheet |
Narrative and photographs
On the morning of our last day in Virginia, Rich and I couldn’t resist taking the short detour into town from our hotel and logging this tower before heading back into Shenandoah National Park. I’m glad we waited rather than trying to take a photograph at night or in the rain. This Monday morning was warm and sunny, and the perfect weather provided a deep blue sky as a background.
The tower is a lovely landmark and probably makes beautiful music—but we missed the free carillon recitals, which are held frequently throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Given to the town of Luray in 1937 by Colonel T.C. Northcott and his daughter, it serves as a memorial to the Colonel’s wife, Belle Brown Northcott. The tower stands 117 feet tall and contains a carillon of 47 bells (ranging from 12.5 to 7640 pounds!).
As a small bonus, we unexpectedly came upon a letterbox sitting out in the grass just a few yards from the tower. We logged in and rehid the container in the most appropriate spot we could find. I’m glad we were the ones to find it, rather than someone who didn’t know (or didn’t care) what it was.
