Glidden, Joseph F., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1861, this two-story brick house in DeKalb, Illinois, was the home of Joseph F. Glidden, inventor of barbed wire. Jacob Haish, later Glidden's rival in the barbed wire business, built it. It has a raised fieldstone foundation, a long front porch, a low gable roof with end chimneys, and a decorated boxed cornice. Its walls are one foot thick and made of locally fired brick. In 1873 Glidden worked out his barbed wire method in the kitchen, using a coffee mill to form barbs and a grindstone to twist the wires. Barbed wire later allowed settlers on the treeless western plains to fence crops and livestock. Glidden and Isaac Ellwood opened the first barbed wire factory in DeKalb in 1874. A later amendment added the property's brick barn, where early barbed wire was made in 1873-74. The property was listed for its connection to this invention.
Significance in brief: The house was the home of Joseph Glidden, who invented barbed wire in 1873 and experimented with it in the house kitchen. The invention was important to settling the treeless Trans-Mississippi West. The barn is also tied to the first manufacture of barbed wire in 1873-74.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73002159, listed October 25, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 917 W. Lincoln Hwy., De Kalb |
|---|---|
| County | DeKalb County |
| Listed | October 25, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002159 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1861-1873 (19th century; house built 1861, barbed wire invented 1873) |
| Architect / builder | Jacob Haish (builder of the house) |
| Architectural style | Barn classified as Other: Transverse Frame; the house has no style stated |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Invention |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Originally a private residence in good condition, with a florist business and greenhouses adjoining. The 2002 amendment lists the barn property as public-local with current function "Work in Progress". |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.94069, -88.77045 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73002159.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6282977
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.