When you think of famous products developed in DeKalb County, barbed wire comes to mind. That's one reason that Joseph F. Glidden, the DeKalb farmer and inventor, has just been inducted into the Illinois Manufacturing 2026 Hall of Fame. Glidden is best known for revolutionizing barbed wire at his DeKalb homestead in 1873.
Jessi Haish LaRue is the Executive Director of the JF Glidden Homestead & Historical Center. She noted that the award recognizes the people, products and companies that have shaped Illinois.
“He's recognized for being a barbed wire baron, inventing 'The Winner' barbed wire here on our museum site, but also for his philanthropy," she said. "About half of the plaque actually just talks about his land donation to NIU. Here's the story of a very wealthy man who creates something and turns around and gives it right back to the community, and I think the committee was impressed by that.”
Also recognized in this year’s Hall of Fame class is aerosol canned spray paint developed in 1949 by Edward H. Seymour of Sycamore.
Illinois Manufacturers' Association adds DeKalb's Joseph F. Glidden and a Sycamore innovation to its Hall of Fame
Jenna Dooley, WNIJ