 Well, barbed wire is an indispensable part of many farms across rural America, but where did we get barbed wire? Highlighting the history of barbed wire begins with a story from the Joseph Glidden Homestead and History Center in DeKalb, Illinois. So the Glidden Homestead is known as, was the home of the father of barbed wire. So Joseph F. Glidden is considered the person that created the first commercially successful practical barbed wire. DeKalb's known as the Barb City, and the homestead is the site where it happened.