Glidden Homestead to hold ‘Barbed Wire Barons Bus Tour’ Sept. 27 in DeKalb

Barbed wire prototypes made by DeKalb County farmers and inventors Joseph Glidden, Isaac Ellwood and Jacob Haish are seen on display at the DeKalb County History Center on June 30, 2023. (Camden Lazenby)

September 12, 2024 at 9:00 am CDT

DeKALB – The J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center will host a “Barbed Wire Barons Bus Tour” to kick off its Barbed Wire Weekend events.

The tour will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 27 at the homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb.

The tour features locations and buildings related to DeKalb’s barbed wire story. Highlights include an interior tour of former barbed wire factories Industrial Artifacts and Sonoco Alloyd. The tour was organized by historian Stephen J. Bigolin and Jeff J. Marshall, a Haish family descendant.

Tickets cost $74 and include a commemorative booklet. To buy tickets, visit BarbedWireWeekend.com or call 815-756-7904.

Proceeds from the tour and Barbed Wire Weekend will support the homestead’s operations and preservation.

For information, email jessi@gliddenhomestead.org, visit barbedwireweekend.com, or call 815-756-7904.