A beautiful new sign designed and crafted by blacksmiths at the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center was unveiled May 18, at the museum located at 921 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb. The ornate hand-forged iron sign frame was designed by Lucio Bortolin, who is a working blacksmith and member of the Glidden Homestead’s board of directors. For more than a year, Bortolin donated time and space in the workshop of his business, F2 Industries, Sycamore, where blacksmiths created the sign frame. 3D Designs of Sycamore produced the sign insert at or near wholesale, as another of the Homestead’s sponsors.
Many of the Glidden Homestead board members were on hand May 18 to celebrate the unveiling of the new sign. From left are: Richard Glidden, Steve “Kepp” Johnson, Svetlana Henrikson, board president, Jim Morel, Lucio Bortolin, and Marcia Wilson, executive director of the museum.
At the unveiling ceremony May 18, Svetlana Henrikson, board president, thanked everyone for their support of the Glidden Homestead and for making the new signage possible. In the fall of 2012, the DCCF granted $2,395 to the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center in DeKalb to fund a new sign on the front lawn of the Homestead. Before signage was in place, visitors often commented, “We didn’t know you were here,” or “We couldn’t figure out where to park.” After the new sign was unveiled, almost immediately drive-by and walk-in traffic increased and visitors have been taking photos by the sign.
“This event has great historical significance for our community. The sign will not only improve the Homestead’s visibility, drawing many more people to our museum to learn about barbed wire, but also will help us preserve this site for future generations as Joseph Glidden’s legacy,” she said.
“The frame for the sign was masterfully crafted by our local blacksmiths who showcased artisan skills that carry the great traditions of the craft dating back to Joseph Glidden’s time. It was Glidden’s good friend the blacksmith Phineas Vaughan, who helped him construct machinery to produce the barbed wire. Today, our local blacksmiths carry on that tradition and spent many long hours creating this beautiful sign. Their work displays tangible proof that this skill still exists,” Henrikson said.
The new sign is located in the front yard at the Glidden Homestead, located between Copy Service and Burger King. Additional signage will be placed near the museum’s historic brick barn (seen from the Burger King drive-through), as well as at the Homestead’s driveway entrance. The Homestead is the site where Joseph Glidden invented and manufactured “The Winner” barbed wire, for which he received a patent on Nov. 24, 1874. The house and barn built in the 1860s still stand on their original site. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. Everyone is encouraged to visit the Glidden Homestead this season to see the new sign and many new exhibits within the museum. The Homestead is open for tours on Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., also the second and fourth Sundays each month through October, with special events in November. For more information, call (815) 756-7904 or visit www.gliddenhomestead.org.
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