J.F. Glidden Homestead

09/02/2026

🎶 HISTORY + MUSIC = A PRETTY GREAT NIGHT

We’re bringing back one of our favorite parts of SNAG: LIVE MUSIC!

Bend in the Road will be taking the stage at Saturday Night at Glidden on September 26. Come dance, relax, grab some food, explore the Homestead and enjoy an evening outdoors.

This isn’t your typical fundraiser. It’s a party at a historic place—with a purpose.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now!

📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 4–7 PM
📍 Glidden Homestead

Bring your friends. We’ll bring the music. 🎸

Get your tickets at GliddenHomestead.org!

09/01/2026

Get SNAGGED! Tickets now available on our website. Click the link to hear our radio spot with some super fun details about this year’s event!

Jessi and Linda from the JF Glidden Homestead were our Guest DJs. We talked all about the Saturday Night At Glidden (SNAG) event coming up on 9/26! This is not only a fundraiser but a celebration. There will be food, music, and lots of fun. Every dollar raised goes back into the JF Glidden Homestead as well. Check out the audio here: https://omny.fm/shows/guest-dj/9-1-26-guest-dj-jf-glidden-homestead

09/01/2026

Picture a man who wore his confidence like his trademark hat, who'd rather play cards in the barn than work the family farm, and who once flipped a coin with Charles Schwab to settle a $30,000 bet — double or nothing.

That was John W. Gates. Born near Turner Junction (today's West Chicago) in 1855, he drifted from failed job to failed job until a barbed wire salesman's pitch changed the course of his life — and, eventually, the course of St. Charles history.

Hear the whole story on September 16.

🎙️ “Bet-A-Million” John W. Gates: St. Charles's Accidental Benefactor
📍 Baker Community Center | 🗓️ Sept 16, 2026 | 🕖 7–8 PM

Presented by historian Steve Gibson, St. Charles History Museum

Tickets are just $10 -- FREE to members.

Tickets and RSVP here: https://stcmuseum.org/gates26

08/31/2026

Look what we spotted at the Homestead today! 🍁

08/31/2026

🌳 250 Trees for Tomorrow: Help Us Plant at the Glidden Homestead! 🌳

Help us make history — and plant for the future!

As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, DeKalb Township has committed to planting 250 trees throughout our community through its “250 Trees for Tomorrow” initiative.

Join us at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Glidden Homestead & Historical Center, 921 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, as we plant a variety of 10 trees on the historic Homestead campus.

This special planting event is a partnership between DeKalb Township, the Glidden Homestead & Historical Center, and The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative.

🌱 Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome!

The new trees will help create a beautiful, welcoming campus for visitors today while providing shade, beauty and a lasting legacy for generations to come.

The Glidden Homestead preserves and shares the story of Joseph F. Glidden, his invention of “The Winner” barbed wire, and the people, innovations and industry that helped shape DeKalb County and beyond. With the help of volunteers and community support, we’re excited to add to that story by planting for the future.

📅 Friday, Sept. 18
⏰ 9 a.m.
📍 Glidden Homestead & Historical Center
921 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb

🌳 Want to help? Call 815-758-8282 to volunteer or online here: https://mortonarb.tfaforms.net/48?id=a5gVy000001FqaPIAS

Bring your enthusiasm and help us put down roots for the next generation! 💚

08/31/2026

🚨 LESS THAN A MONTH TO GO! 🚨

We’re officially in the SNAG countdown! 🪢

Saturday Night at Glidden returns Saturday, September 26—and this is one night you’re going to want to get “SNAGGED” for.

🎶 Live music from Bend in the Road
🍴 Delicious food from Tom & Jerry’s Catering by Diann
🏡 Behind-the-scenes tours of the Glidden House & Barn
🔎 A one-night-only historical scavenger hunt
🎟️ Incredible raffle prizes
❤️ And a whole lot of history, fun & fundraising!

Come celebrate the place where Joseph F. Glidden’s “The Winner” barbed wire changed America—and help us preserve that story for generations to come.

📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 4–7 PM
📍 Glidden Homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb

🎟️ Tickets are ON SALE NOW at GliddenHomestead.org!

Gather your people. Mark your calendar. Get SNAGGED. 🪢

08/31/2026

The Glidden Homestead will be closed Sunday, September 6.

08/30/2026

Haish LaRue: Local history still needs your attention and support https://mrf.lu/2qCn8

Column: America’s 250th birthday may have come and gone, but our local history is still here – and it still needs our attention, curiosity and support, writes Jessi Haish LaRue.

08/30/2026

Did you know? Seeing the need for social services in DeKalb County, Jessie Glidden became a key player in the creation of the Family Service Agency of DeKalb County in 1956. It was the first privately funded social agency in the county, and Jessie served as the first board chair. Launching the Family Service Agency was Jessie’s proudest accomplishment.

Jessie participated in many local club activities. She was the cofounder of the DeKalb-Sycamore Altrusa, formed in 1960, and was a recipient of their Woman of the Year award. She was an active member of the DeKalb County Democratic Party, and a charter member of the Thursday Arts Club, Stage Coach Players, and the Children’s Community Theatre. She was honored by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s Athena award program and was given their Woman of Accomplishment award. In 1991 the community recognized the contributions of this grand dame of DeKalb with an “Honoring Miss Jessie” tea.

Jessie lived at the Glidden Homestead longer than any other Glidden family member, remaining here until 1998 when she moved to Oak Crest. Jessie died in 2004, at the age of 92.

08/29/2026

It’s officially time to text your friends, make your plans and get your tickets to Saturday Night at Glidden! 🪢

September 26 | 4–7 PM

One night. One historic barn. One pretty great fundraiser.

🎸 Bend in the Road
🍴 Tom & Jerry’s Catering by Diann
🏡 House & barn tours
🔎 Barbed wire scavenger hunt
🎟️ Raffle prizes
❤️ Supporting the Glidden Homestead

We’ll see you at the Homestead!

🎟️ Tickets: GliddenHomestead.org