Barbed Wire Weekend to help bring tourists to DeKalb

DeKALB – The J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center is excited to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the barbed wire patent, known as “The Winner,” with a full weekend of activities come Saturday and Sunday.

The museum recently was bestowed with a proclamation from Gov. JB Pritzker recognizing Barbed Wire Weekend.

J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center executive director Jessi Haish LaRue said it meant a lot to the museum.

“It was very exciting to receive that recognition for the museum,” LaRue said. “This is an invention that happened here at the Homestead site. Joseph [Glidden] had a cow that he needed to keep fenced in, and, being a farmer, he had to come up with a creation. Making that here in DeKalb, it provided a lot of growth and prosperity. So it put DeKalb on the map. To see it be recognized on a state level is really special. We’re grateful for that.”

During the events, there will be an assortment of barbed wire collectors on hand for the Barbed Wire Show coming from 10 different states to exhibit.

“These are people that have been collecting barbed wire for years and all the different variations,” LaRue said.

Various booths will be manned by eight local museums.

“They’re going to bring some of their barbed wire collections or some hands-on demonstrations and then, they’ll be promoting their museums as well,” LaRue said.

“Our claim to fame is we invented barbed wire. The invention of barbed wire literally changed the cattle industry and changed the way we feed the world. It’s just a perfect example of the history of innovation that our community has and our founding fathers were the start of all that.”

—  Mayor Cohen Barnes

Events take place place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Northern Illinois University’s Altgeld Hall, 116 Altgeld Hall, DeKalb.

Tours of both the Glidden Homestead and Historical Center and Ellwood House will take place both days.

LaRue stressed that there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

While the Historic Barbed Wire Sites Bus Tour and Saturday Night at Glidden fundraiser dinner are sold out, LaRue said she hopes people check out the Barbed Wire Show.

Organizers said they started planning to hold the events about a-year-and-a-half ago.

It took off, in part, because the barbed wire patent is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year.

The city of DeKalb hasn’t hosted a barbed wire expo since 1988, organizers said.

LaRue said she reached out to the international group, the Antique Barbed Wire Society, which puts on these events, only to find out that enthusiasm sparked quickly.

“It took off really quickly, and we’ve had a lot of support both from that group and DeKalb,” LaRue said.

Mayor Cohen Barnes said it’s only fitting that the museum was recognized locally by city officials.

During a recent City Council meeting, Barnes issued a proclamation in recognition of the barbed wire patent and its place in DeKalb history.

“Our claim to fame is we invented barbed wire,” Barnes said. “The invention of barbed wire literally changed the cattle industry and changed the way we feed the world. It’s just a perfect example of the history of innovation that our community has and our founding fathers were the start of all that.”

When asked if he feels the events are needed to maintain the city’s status as Barb City, Barnes weighed in.

“It’s going to make a huge impact on us maintaining the right to call ourselves Barb City,” Barnes said.

Barnes said he’s excited for the added traffic that Barbed Wire Weekend will bring to DeKalb.

“I think it’s going to be an incredible event that’s going to draw more people than you might expect to be able to come and enjoy all the history,” Barnes said. “The exhibitors are going to be there sharing the history of the invention of barbed wire. That is going to drive people to our area. They’re going to buy gas, they’re going to go to restaurants, they’re going to spend money in our community, which we always love from a tourism perspective because it helps generate tax revenue for the residents of the city of Dekalb.”

All the proceeds from the weekend’s events go toward the J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center to help with operations and preservation of the museum’s historic buildings.

LaRue said she hopes barbed wire is remembered fondly for what it’s done for DeKalb.

“This is kind of the fabric of our community,” LaRue said. “It’s what got us started. These inventors, they’re so interesting because they became some of the richest men in the world, but they chose to remain in DeKalb and reinvest here. They brought the library, the hospital, the railroad and they did a lot of great things for us. I hope people know that and remember that.”