Haish features at Barbed Wire Weekend 2024

In September 2024, the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center proudly hosted "Barbed Wire Weekend," a three-day event that celebrated the 150th anniversary of Joseph F. Glidden's patent for "The Winner" barbed wire. This event brought barbed wire collectors and spectators from 11 states, and featured a dinner at the historic Glidden Homestead, a bus tour that highlighted the barbed wire sites of DeKalb, and a two-day barbed wire expo in partnership with the Antique Barbed Wire Society at the beautiful Altgeld Hall at Northern Illinois University.

I was wearing many hats that weekend, as executive director of the Glidden Homestead, but also as a Haish family descendant and lover of the barbed wire story. Below are just a few photos from that monumental weekend.

Better late than never...

A full bus tour for the Barbed Wire Trail!

A somber stop at the parking lot where the Haish mansion once stood.

A stop at the Haish Monument in Fairview Cemetery

Haish family descendant Jeff J. Marshall led the tour through the Barb City

From the bus tour book

The barbed wire expo was held at Altgeld Hall at NIU

Pipe cleaner barbed wire

Haish rail

The exhibitors of Barbed Wire Weekend

Mystery Woman Poses at Haish Mansion

A negative of this image appeared on eBay recently. After digitizing it, the image became much clearer -- a beautiful portrait of the Haish mansion, with a young woman posing in front. While not much else is known, what a wonderful photo...

Click the image to enlarge.

Thanks to Kevin Haish for sharing this photo.

1987 Sycamore Steam Show Belt Buckle -- with a twist

The featured belt buckle for the 1987 Steam Power & Engine Show in Sycamore, Illinois featured barbed wire, a Sandwich gas engine and a Chanticleer gas engine (The Chanticleer line was Haish's most recognizable line.)

The backside reads "This is the sixth buckle in a series for the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club. This buckle shows two small engines that were made in this area and have been exhibited at the show for several years. This is the club's 31st annual show, and the 21st year to be held on the Taylor Marshall Farm near Sycamore, IL."

To learn more about Haish engines, click here.

Visitors explore the Haish mansion

From the June 26, 1885, DeKalb Daily Chronicle, visitors were invited to explore the newly-built Haish mansion on the corner of Third and Pine Streets in DeKalb.

For previous posts (and photos!) of the treasured Haish mansion, click here.

Advertisement featuring Haish monument

This 1929 advertisement for The Dodds Granite Company (New York) features the Haish Memorial. "Unique in design, built of Stony Creek Granite, may be seen in DeKalb, Ill."

Haish died in 1926.

To learn more about the Haish monument in Fairview Cemetery, click here to see photos (including the copyright on the stone!)

Thanks to Kevin Haish for sharing this advertisement.