Brick by Brick: Glidden Barn Restoration Fundraising Underway
The Glidden Homestead is seeking monetary donations for its barn, on the National Register of Historic Places for being the site of “The Winner” barbed wire invention, so that its interior can be restored and used for programming and exhibit space.
The brick barn, nestled on the Homestead site, 921 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, is one of the most historically significant barns in the country. It is the site where Joseph F. Glidden invented and initially manufactured his barbed wire that became known as “The Winner.” Glidden’s first barbed wire manufacturing office was located in the southeast corner of the barn.
The Glidden Homestead is fundraising to make the barn safe and usable for exhibits, programming space, and storage possibilities. Phase One projects of this restoration include fundraising for installation and reinforcement of support posts, removing concrete flooring, and installing wood plank flooring. This will make the barn usable, allowing for programming and interpretive educational space. The Homestead is also fundraising for window restoration.
The Homestead’s volunteer barn restoration committee has led a series of successful updates and progress with the barn in 2024, including installation of the original tack room door, installation of a paver path at the barn’s entry, and more. Thanks to a generous donation from Eleanor Pasquale’s estate, extensive masonry and foundation repairs were also completed to the brick building this year.
Gifts supports local history and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center is filed with the Internal Revenue Service as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, EIN #36b040683. Donations can be mailed to Glidden Homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, IL 60115, with memo “barn restoration,” or can be gifted online at GliddenHomestead.org by clicking “Barn Restoration: Brick by Brick.”
For more information, contact the Glidden Homestead at 815-756-7904 or jessi@gliddenhomestead.org. Joseph Farwell Glidden’s invention of one of the most widely-used types of barbed wire in 1873 helped change the history of the American West and had far-reaching impact throughout the world. His Homestead is being preserved and restored by a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995. The Homestead is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Glidden’s “The Winner” barbed wire patent this year and recently celebrated with Barb City’s Barbed Wire Weekend.