Letter: Thank you to all who made Barbed Wire Weekend happen

Barbed Wire Weekend is in the books.

When I started my role at the Glidden Homestead a little over two years ago, the board of directors informed me that the 150th anniversary of Glidden’s The Winner barbed wire patent was coming up in 2024.

I remember thinking that it needed to be celebrated in a big way – this is an invention that put DeKalb on the map, and it’s our entire mission here at the museum. I thought back to the barbed wire expo I attended in 2019, and I started to wonder if it could happen here. I started the community conversations (both near and far!) almost immediately.

The Antique Barbed Wire Society gave a resounding YES to attending a wire show in DeKalb. We hadn’t had one in this county since 1988. It was time.

Standing in the Altgeld Hall ballroom at NIU, it was incredible to see everyone who was brought there by one thing – barbed wire. Ten different states were represented and seven local museums were eager to participate. It was an incredible showing of community. And as we celebrated with SNAG that night, the first dinner fundraiser of its kind to be held at the Glidden Homestead, we were reminded of the special place where it all began. Together, Homestead members, supporters, Gliddens, Haishes, and barbed wire collectors from across the country dined to support this small but mighty museum.

A wonderful community bond has been created and we plan to protect it for the future. We also enjoyed a historic sites bus tour. For half of the bus, we were playing tourists in our own town! For the other half, they were seeing this town for perhaps the first time – learning where homes and factories once stood, and realizing the major impact that barbed wire had on the Barb City. It all became so real and tangible. History happened here!

This weekend was a wonderful showing of support for both history and the Glidden Homestead itself. Thanks to generous supporters, all of these events could be hosted as fundraisers for our museum. Thanks to our incredible volunteers, we were able to staff multiple events and have the Homestead open for tours.

Visitors saw the interior of the historic Glidden barn where he invented and manufactured his wire, and learned more about our fundraising plans to make it a usable space. We are so excited to share our vision for the future.

Simply put, I am so grateful for everyone who helped make Barbed Wire Weekend happen. You have made history by saving history. Thank you for loving and supporting the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center, and happy anniversary to The Winner!

Jessi Haish LaRue

DeKalb