All Sam Houston State students and alumni know about the infamous bell tower. It is located in the center of campus, it’s 50 feet tall so you can’t miss it, and you will most definitely hear it too.

There is quite a bit of history behind this tower. It was dedicated to SHSU all the way back in 2005. It was donated by alumni, according to shsu.edu, they wanted to give back to the university in a non-traditional way.

According to shsu.edu, the bells play every 15 minutes, which are the standard chimes. Although it usually repeats, there are also other options.

Everyday, the bell tower plays the Sam Houston State fight song. The system has also programmed some other options for certain occasions. That includes special songs specifically for holidays.

Although this was not always the case, shsu.edu stated, “Before the bells were brought to campus, the quarter-hourly chimes could be heard from a carillon that played over speakers perched on top of the Bobby K. Marks Administration Building. The Farrell-Wright Carillon was a system of tuning forks made to sound like bells. These tuning forks could play live or be programmed to play many different songs on demand with a modified keyboard.”

Eventually the bells were implemented, and the bell tower was completed. In years since, it has become a popular spot on campus, especially for photos, or just a place for students or staff to meet at.