Lawson Tower's December: A Free Christmas Bell Concert and a Supermoon Climb to the Belfry
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
The clock keeps Lawson Tower's bells on their everyday schedule. When the tower plays music, though, a person is doing it from a room at the bottom of the tower, working a row of wooden levers. Each lever runs up through chains and pulleys to a bell that can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds.
This December, the Scituate Historical Society has two Lawson Tower events three days apart. On December 20 you can stand on the lawn while the bells are played. On December 23 you can climb the stairs to the belfry where those bells hang. Between them, you get to see both ends of how a tune gets from a person's hands to the whole neighborhood.
The tower dates to 1902. Thomas W. Lawson paid to build it around a 276,000-gallon water tank, 153 feet tall, according to the Historical Society's history of the tower. The tank was the practical part, and the shingled tower around it was meant to keep the view pretty.
The money was Lawson's, but the building was done by someone else. Boston.com reported in 2024 that Charles Logue, an Irish immigrant, built the tower.
Inside are ten bells cast by the Meneely Bell Factory in Troy, New York, from about 300 pounds for the smallest to 3,000 pounds for the largest. The Society says they are played from a console at ground level with ten wooden levers, one per bell, connected by chains and pulleys. During a concert, each note you hear across town starts with a single pull on a lever.
The bells have other jobs too. Boston.com notes they can play music, strike the hour, and sound morning and evening chimes. On special occasions, the Society says, a skilled player performs themed medleys. The December 20 concert is one of those occasions.
The Lawson Tower Christmas bell concert is set for Sunday, December 20, 2026, from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. on the lawn at the tower, behind 330 First Parish Road. It's free, and the listing doesn't mention any registration.
Lenae Badger, the Society's chimer, is the scheduled performer. The Society describes the program as familiar selections for all ages and invites people to bring a blanket along with snacks or a full meal. That means a picnic on a December evening in Scituate, so dress for it.
You'll be listening at the bottom of the tower, right next to where the music is made. The levers sit in the console room at ground level, and the bells are up in the belfry. Thirty minutes is a short concert. It's also thirty minutes of one person working ten levers tied to as much as 3,000 pounds of bronze per note, which makes the short running time easier to understand.
Three days after the concert, the Society holds its Cold Supermoon tour on Wednesday, December 23, 2026, from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m. It's one of the Society's "Trips To The Top." You climb the tower's stairs, more than 120 of them, up to the belfry. From there you get the view over Scituate and, once it's up, the full moon.
Members of the South Shore Astronomical Society will be on hand with telescopes. The listing says tours begin about 30 minutes before sunset, weather permitting. That explains the 3:15 start, since late-December sunsets come early.
Before you go:
If you plan to go, book soon. The November tour, the Beaver Super Moon climb on November 24 at the same $10 price, is already marked sold out on the Society's calendar. There are only two moon climbs left this year, and the December 23 date is the one you can still get into.
These moon tours aren't new. Boston.com described the same telescope-and-belfry setup back in 2024. Doing the concert and the climb in the same week is what makes December different. On Sunday you listen from the grass. By Wednesday you're up in the room where the bells hang, next to the bronze that rang out three days earlier.
The tower isn't the only place making music in Scituate next month, and the other two events come earlier in December.
On Saturday, December 5, Kennedy's Country Gardens at 85 Chief Justice Cushing Highway holds a Family Fun Saturday + Winter Market. Kids get a Holiday Passport scavenger hunt, and vendors on the list include Pocasset Naturals and The Little Social Cart.
The next evening, Sunday, December 6, the North Scituate Beach Improvement Association has Christmas caroling from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Grasshopper Lane and Ocean Avenue. It's an hour of voices on a corner two weeks before the bells take their turn on First Parish Road.
Here's how the dates fall:
If you were thinking of a harbor dinner after the concert, plan on somewhere other than The Mill Wharf. It's been open since 1984, and the South Shore Times reported that its last day of service is this Saturday, November 14. After that it closes for building improvements and a brand refresh, with a planned reopening in spring or summer 2027.
Owner Dan Groom-Traina told the South Shore Times that "The Mill Wharf is a treasured landmark in the Scituate community." He said the plan is to refresh the look "while preserving what makes it so special." If you have a favorite booth with a harbor view, this weekend is your last chance at it until 2027.
Out on the Driftway, Salt Marsh Bistro and Bar at 17 New Driftway closed after service on October 31, after just over a year in business, as The Patriot Ledger reported. According to the paper, its sister restaurant, Osteria Vivo in Pembroke, is still open and accepts Salt Marsh gift cards, in case one ended up in a drawer at your house.
For the concert itself, the Society has already given you a dinner plan. Bring a blanket and a meal, then eat on the lawn while Lenae Badger plays.
You'll probably spot me on the Lawson Tower lawn on December 20 with a thermos. If you'd like to talk about life near First Parish Road, or anywhere else around Scituate, over something warm, Bill Tierney would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
Hingham
Blog
A New Name, Same Local Expertise in South Shore Real Estate
Review the January 2021 Scituate real estate market report with local home sales and pricing data.
Discover the best local ice cream stands in and around Cohasset for delicious sweet summer treats.
While I am not a native of Cohasset, I am very entrenched here. I can find you the right house, bank, builder, school, yoga studio, and yes, even the freshest organic ingredients for a good meal.
