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...
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| A full bus tour for the Barbed Wire Trail! |
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| A somber stop at the parking lot where the Haish mansion once stood. |
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| A stop at the Haish Monument in Fairview Cemetery |
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| Haish family descendant Jeff J. Marshall led the tour through the Barb City |
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| From the bus tour book |
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| The barbed wire expo was held at Altgeld Hall at NIU |
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| Pipe cleaner barbed wire |
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| Haish rail |
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| The exhibitors of Barbed Wire Weekend |
