Steeple bells also summoned people in times of emergency. Cities in the United States also bristle with steeples, though most of the urban spires are more ornate than their country cousins. Steeples A steeple, which identifies a building as a church, can be spotted from a distance. That's one reason why steeples were first put on churches. People would look for a steeple in a town or village and use it as a marker to guide them to the church.
Steeples come in all shapes and sizes.
There are simple spires, which look like slim, inverted cones. There are multitiered steeples that can measure more than 100 feet from base to tip. And there are variations in between. Today most steeples are made of fiberglass. A fiberglass steeple isn't covered with roofing material that wears out or needs to be replaced.