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At 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, at the Glidden Homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, learn about Sheriff Joseph F. Glidden’s role in DeKalb County history.DeKalb County was a significant hub of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad in the early 1850s. Many local citizens, organizations, and churches actively aided the escape of hundreds of formerly enslaved Freedom Seekers through the county on their journey to Canada. Joseph F. Glidden, noted who would later become the “Father of Barbed Wire,” served as DeKalb County Sheriff during this most active and volatile period of the UGRR, 1851-53. In spite of being bound by federal and state laws that required he apprehend and arrest those involved in this illegal activity, Joseph pursued a policy of non-pursuit that directly aided and allowed DeKalb County to remain a vital location for those escaping slavery until the Civil War. John Paris, associate professor of History at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, will share his research on this topic.
Admission is $5 per person, free for Homestead members, and includes the program, a bowl of soup, and a house tour.
Paris earned his M.A. and B.A. in History from Northern Illinois University, specializing in U.S. and Latin American History. He has taught and developed various programs at COD since 1996, including those focused on the Underground Railroad in Illinois. He lead the Field Studies course “Kayaking the African-American Heritage Trail” which visited important UGRR sites along the Little Calumet River in 2022 and co-hosted academic presentations by Illinois UGRR scholars in 2016 and 2023. John currently serves as a docent at the J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center, and resides in DeKalb with his wife and daughter.
Soup-er Sunday programs support the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in DeKalb, a not-for-profit organization working to preserve the home and barn, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, call 815-756-7904, visit www.gliddenhomestead.org or email [email protected]
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
J. F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center, 921 W Lincoln Hwy, Dekalb, IL 60115-3011, United States,DeKalb, Illinois
