Quizzes & Puzzles How Much Do You Know About McGraw Tower? Test your knowledge of East Hill’s most iconic landmark with 12 questions—one for each hour on the clock! DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MEDIUM 1) What year was the tower completed? 1865 1870 1888 1891 None 2) What was the tower’s original use? Library book annex Student housing Weather observation ROTC training None 3) Tower architect William Henry Miller 1872 also designed all of these campus structures, EXCEPT … Risley Hall Barnes Hall Eddy Gate Morrill Hall None 4) The Chimes comprised how many bells when they first rang in the 19th century? How many are there today? 8 then; 19 now 9 then; 21 now 11 then; 18 now 12 then; 24 now None 5) How many steps are there to the top of the tower? 131 141 151 161 None 6) What well-known brand made the tower’s timepiece? Seth Thomas Rolex Bulova Timex None 7) What is the diameter of each clockface? 5 feet 8 feet 10 feet 13 feet None 8) How long is the “long hand” of each clock? 3 feet 5 feet 7 feet 9 feet None 9) Due to what historic event were women finally allowed to be chimesmasters? World War I The passage of the 19th Amendment World War II The end of “in loco parentis” rules None 10) What year did pranksters put a pumpkin atop the tower, making global headlines? 1989 1997 2009 2016 None 11) About how long did the famed pumpkin remain atop the tower? One year Five months One month One week None 12) In the decades since the pumpkin prank, each of these items has appeared atop the tower, EXCEPT … Disco ball Santa hat Stuffed bear Another pumpkin None Time’s up (Top: Photo by Jason Koski / Cornell University.) Published July 22, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Racing Toward her Second Olympics, Taylor Knibb ’20 Preps for Paris Quizzes & Puzzles Visual Quiz: Where’s that Sculpture? Chime In How Reclaiming a Part of Myself Made Way for My Dreams