From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph F. Glidden House
Joseph F. Glidden House
Joseph F. Glidden House chitectural elements found on the Glidden House that are
consistently found in French Colonial homes. The barn, a
U.S. National Register of Historic Places building of high historical significance, was not included
as part of the National Register listing for the property
until 2002, nearly 30 years after the original nomination
was approved.
House
The home of the most famous barbed wire inventor, Joseph F.
Glidden.
Location: DeKalb, Illinois, DeKalb County, Illinois,
USA
Coordinates: 41°55′53″N 88°45′1″W / 41.93139°N
88.75028°W / 41.93139;
-88.75028Coordinates: 41°55′53″N
88°45′1″W / 41.93139°N 88.75028°W /
41.93139; -88.75028 The Glidden House as it looked around 1900.
Built: 1861 The land that the Glidden House stands on is what re-
Architect: Jacob Haish[1] mains of Joseph Glidden’s once large DeKalb County farm.
His holdings stretched along Lincoln Highway, both the
Architectural style: French Colonial north and south sides, from the Kishwaukee River in the
Governing body: J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center east to present-day Annie Glidden Road on the west. The
Glidden Farm went as far north as today’s Lucinda Av-
NRHP Reference#: 73002159
enue. The farm’s south border, near where Glidden would
Added to NRHP: October 25, 1973[2] and August 7, 2002[3] grant the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad right-of-
way through DeKalb in the early 1990s was near present-
The Joseph F. Glidden House is located in the United day Taylor Street.[4]
States in the DeKalb County, Illinois city of DeKalb. It was The two-story Joseph F. Glidden House is constructed
the home to the famed inventor of barbed wire Joseph from locally fired brick, which is relatively soft. The soft-
Glidden. The barn, still located on the property near sev- ness of the brick has caused it to weather in a non-uni-
eral commercial buildings, is said to be where Glidden form fashion.[5] The brick is said to have been fired at a
perfected his improved version of barbed wire which small brickyard which once existed on the Kishwaukee
would eventually transform him into a successful entre- River in DeKalb, near the present-day Lincoln Highway
preneur. The Glidden House was added to the National bridge.[5] The home stands on a stone foundation and
Register of Historic Places in 1973. The home was de- was designed by local carpenter and eventual barbed
signed by another barbed wire patent holder in DeKalb, wire competitor to Glidden, Jacob Haish.[1] Construction
Jacob Haish. was completed in 1861 and the home is a prominent ex-
The property contains the house and two outbuild- ample of Illinois French Colonial architecture.
ings; the barn and the remains of an old windmill foun-
dation. Constructed in 1861, the Glidden House adheres History
mostly to a French Colonial style of architecture. The The land where the Glidden House stands once held a log
raised basement and full-length porch are two of the ar- structure, which Glidden lived in when he first came to
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph F. Glidden House
Architecture
The home was mostly designed in a French Colonial style,
though it contains some elements of Greek Revival archi-
tecture. French Colonial architecture was more popular
in the American South than it ever was in the northern
tier of states.[5]
Exterior
An early handmade specimen of Glidden’s "The Winner" on
display at the Barbed Wire History Museum in DeKalb, Illinois.
DeKalb at the beckoning of his cousin Russell Huntley.[4]
The house was built in 1861 for barbed wire entrepre-
neur Joseph Farwell Glidden. As his personal residence,
the house, and its accompanying barn, were closely asso-
ciated with his invention, really just an improvement, of
barbed wire. Glidden’s improvement upon a wire board
fence developed by Henry Rose was of vast importance
in the settlement of the United States west of the Mis-
sissippi. It was after Glidden saw Rose exhibit his wire
at a fair in 1873 that he was struck with the idea of at-
taching barbs to wire strand fencing.[6] Glidden is said to
have experimented with some of his ideas in the base-
ment kitchen of the Glidden House.[6] He noticed that
whenever he tried to attach barbs directly to strands of
wire they slid along the length of the wire; Glidden real-
ized he needed a way to crimp the barbs. He began tin-
kering around the home’s kitchen. Glidden fit two hair The west facade of the house, note the cornice.
pins to the shaft of a coffee mill, one centered and the
other off-center. He found that by placing the wire be- The two-story brick structure is supported by a field-
tween the pins and turning the crank a uniform barb re- stone foundation and still features its original front
sulted.[6] How to crimp the barbs to the wire was solved, porch. The porch spans the length of the building’s front
in the barn, by tying one end of the wire and another (south) facade, at a height of about 6 feet (1.8 m).[6] The
length of wire to a poplar tree on the grounds of the Glid- porch is supported by four wooden pillars, which rest
den House and the other ends of the wires to a grind- on stone bases. The stairs leading to the front porch are
stone. The grindstone was used to twist the wires togeth- supported by two similar wooden posts, which, like the
er and prevent the barbs from slipping.[6] house, are set into fieldstone bases. The first step on the
Day to day life at the Glidden House was mostly car- stairs was originally a limestone block embedded in the
ried out in the home’s basement which contained a full ground.[5] The porch roof is supported by six wooden,
kitchen, dining room, and living room. The upper floors bracketed pillars. The pillars are simple, with the brack-
were used for guests and for sleeping quarters.[6] In 1877 ets coming from the boxed capitals. At the rear of the
Glidden’s daughter, Elva, married William H. Bush in the porch wooden pilasters set at each end help to support
homestead.[7] the roof. Differentiating the home from the traditional
As of 2006 extensive restoration work had been com- French Colonial design is the porch roof, which is sepa-
pleted on the home. The front porch was repaired and rate from the main roof.[5]
restored and inside, the hardwood floors have been re- The house stands mostly as it did in 1861 save a few
placed and refinished. In addition, the front parlors have alterations. The front porch was screened in at the time
been repainted and restored.[8] the building was added to the National Register of His-
toric Places,[6] the screens have since been removed. At
the rear of the house a small porch was enclosed. In 1909
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph F. Glidden House
or 1910 there were major subtractions and replacements. wood House, another Haish designed home, and the
Removed were a cast-iron widow’s walk along the roof Gurler House, whose architect is unknown though it was
ridge and a large gable dormer, decorated in the same quite possibly Haish, both in DeKalb.[9]
manner as the cornice decorating the roof trim.[6] The On the house’s east side are three rooms, whose origi-
present dormer replaced the larger one and is more of a nal presence is open to debate.[9] The three rooms are in-
low-shed type. terconnected, another common French colonial element.
The roof itself is a low gable and dominated by single The room adjacent the porch was used as the Glidden’s
stack, straddle ridge chimneys at its east and west ends. dining room and is where the large brick fireplace, which
The boxed roof trim is a decorated cornice.[6] The low- replaced the marble one in 1909, is located. The 1909 fire-
shed dormer is covered with green asphalt.[6] The old place is of the American Craftsman style.[9] At the end of
widow’s walk, which a neighbor dubbed Glidden’s "ob- the hall, near the kitchen, there is a full bathroom.
scuratory", was balustraded and set just above the The western part of the first floor is dominated by a
dormer. large formal living room. The room has two entrances,
one at the front of the hall, near the front door and the
Interior other at the back end of the hall. This was the room
in which Elva Glidden married in the late 19th century.
After 1941 the rear part of the living room, or "west"
room, was walled off and a second kitchen added.[9]
When Jessie Glidden, the last Glidden to occupy the old
homestead, moved in 1998, the west room was restored
to its original size and the second kitchen removed.[9]
The basement, and for part of the home’s history, the
main living area, is accessed via a staircase at the back
of the first-floor hall. The steep stairs still show years
of wear. One of the rooms off the main basement is the
kitchen where Glidden is said to have experimented with
the coffee grinder and his wife’s hair pins, eventually
leading to his brand of barbed wire.[9]
The second-floor served as the main sleeping quar-
ters. It consists of a few simple bedrooms, all historically
without closets. The upstairs hall contains a door which
once accessed a staircase to the widow’s walk, what re-
mains of the space has been used as a closet for over a
century.[9]
Outbuildings
The property has two remaining outbuildings. The barn
is where Glidden invented his famous improvement on
The distinctive porch is an 1861 original. barbed wire. Dubbed "The Winner," his barbed wire be-
came the most popular version of the invention.[10]
The interior of the building is also similar to how it Barbed wire is considered to be one of the most impor-
appeared when the house was constructed. However, a tant factors in American progress and settlement.[11]
few changes have been made. In 1910 the two marble The other outbuilding on the property along historic
fireplaces were replaced by brick. The flooring has been Lincoln Highway are the remnants of a once dominating
replaced as needed. The home’s basement, once the main windmill. Though only the foundation remains, it gives a
living area, has since been converted several times for glimpse of how impressive the structure must have once
other uses.[6] been.[12]
On the first floor of the home the rooms remain much
the same as they were when Glidden lived in the house.[9] Barn
An original multi-paneled wooden door remains at the The Glidden Barn, located to the rear and east of the
entry from the porch to the central hall. The door, how- home, was thought to have been added to the National
ever, was altered, having glass panels installed to admit Register of Historic Places when the original nomination
more light. The staircase is also original and its newel for the house was approved in 1973. However, in the late
posts resemble those found in the Isaac and Harriet Ell- 1990s, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency revealed
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph F. Glidden House
The Glidden Barn, added to the Register in 2002, where Glid- The small, single-pane windows are visible in the shadows.
den’s famed barbed wire was invented.
of red brick and stands on a foundation of limestone.
that the nomination included only the house.[1] The Glid- Glidden’s barn took full advantage of the term vernacu-
den Historical Center initiated the process of adding the lar; the brick was locally manufactured and the limestone
barn to the Register. Those moves were approved by the locally quarried.
Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in 2002 and the The east bay of the barn contains an animal stall in
barn officially became part of the National Register. [1][3] its northeast corner and a fully enclosed office in its op-
The barn was built sometime around 1871, possibly posite corner. The second-floor hayloft is supported by
even before, and is constructed of the same soft brick the two massive transverse beams.[14] The full-sized loft
that makes up the exterior of the home.[1] Tradition in is accessible via an enclosed staircase against the south
the Glidden family holds that the barn, like the house it- wall. The building’s exterior roof is fully supported by
self, was designed and built by prominent local carpen- the brick walls. The result is a loft which is an entirely
ter Jacob Haish. The famous barn, one of DeKalb County’s open space save for some pole and beam construction
oldest remaining,[10] stands a full two-stories high, mea- supporting the laminated beams, which act as tie rods
suring around 50 feet (15 m) tall, with a width of 30 feet at the base of the roof.[14] The barn roof is a common
(9 m).[1] gable roof pitched at a 45 degree angle, it was originally
In February 2007 the Glidden Homestead and Histor- covered with wooden shingles, those have been replaced
ical Center kicked off a fundraising drive. The drive is over the years with asphalt.[14]
aimed at raising US$2 million to expand the Joseph F. The barn features extensive windows, somewhat
Glidden House site to include museum space and a media unique outside of dairy barns,[15] with a total of 14 eight-
center. Some of the funds will be used to help restore the paned, double-hung windows dispersed over three sides
barn and expand historical center museum space into the of the rectangular structure, north, south and east. On
building.[13] the west side, facing the house, are seven smaller single-
pane windows.[14] The double-hung windows are topped
Architecture with segmented arches constructed from a double row
The Glidden barn is of pole and beam construction.[14] of bricks; the north and south main entrances are also
The second-floor interior is dominated by two large topped with segmented brick arches, each of three rows
transverse wooden beams. It is of the three-bay, English of bricks.[14]
tradition, the west bay containing a space for a stairwell
leading to a hayloft and seven stalls.[14] It is constructed
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph F. Glidden House
Windmill building [7] Joseph Glidden, Family History, J.F. Glidden
Homestead & Historical Center, Official site.
Only the foundation remains of the property’s windmill.
Retrieved February 21, 2007.
What is left, ten rows of stone above the ground, is com-
[8] Restoration, J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical
pletely invisible when the home is viewed by passers-by
Center, Official site. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
on Lincoln Highway. The windmill started to fall into dis-
[9] ^ Bigolin, Steve. The Landmarks of Barb City - Part
repair around the 1930s or 40s. The original, specific use
43C, Daily Chronicle, March 7, 2005. Retrieved
of the windmill is unknown.[12]
February 21, 2007.
[10] ^ Glidden Barn, Joseph F. Glidden Homestead &
See also Historical Center, Official site. Retrieved January
26, 2007.
• Barbed wire
[11] McFadden, Joseph M. Monopoly in Barbed Wire,
• Joseph Glidden
The Business History Review, Vol. 52, No. 4 (Winter
• Isaac Ellwood
1978), pp. 465-489. JSTOR. Retrieved February 21,
• List of Registered Historic Places in Illinois
2007.
[12] ^ The Landmarks of Barb City-Part 43E, Daily
References Chronicle, March 21, 2005. Retrieved January 26,
[1] ^ Bigolin, Steve. The Landmarks of Barb City-Part 2007.
43D, Daily Chronicle, March 14, 2005. Retrieved [13] AT&T grant kicks off fund drive for Glidden
January 26, 2007. Homestead, Daily Chronicle, February 16, 2007.
[2] NRIS Database, National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
Retrieved January 2007. [14] ^ Joseph F. Glidden House Amendment, (PDF),
[3] ^ August 16 2002 - Weekly Listing, Weekly Activity National Register of Historic Places Continuation
Update, National Register of Historic Places. Sheet, HAARGIS Database [2], Illinois Historic
Retrieved February 11, 2007. Preservation Agency. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
[4] ^ The Landmarks of Barb City - Part 43A, Daily [15] Auer, Michael J. The Preservation of Historic Barns,
Chronicle, February 21, 2005. Retrieved February 21, Preservation Briefs, National Park Service, first
2007. published October 1989. Retrieved February 8,
[5] ^ Bigolin, Steve. The Landmarks of Barb City-Part 2007.
43B, Daily Chronicle, February 28, 2005. Retrieved
February 15, 2007. External links
[6] ^ Joseph F. Glidden House, (PDF), National Register
• Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center
of Historic Places Nomination Form, HAARGIS
Database [1], Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Retrieved February 11, 2007.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_F._Glidden_House&oldid=458415946"
Categories:
• NRHP articles with dead external links
• National Register of Historic Places in DeKalb County, Illinois
• DeKalb, Illinois
• Houses in DeKalb County, Illinois
• Houses completed in 1861
• French Colonial architecture
• Colonial architecture in the United States
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