Barbed Wire Collection Display, Patented 1874-1916

01

Artifact Overview

Inventors received hundreds of patents for barbed wire during the late 1800s. Some innovators created strands of fencing with sharp metal points cut into the wire; others incorporated small wire spurs twisted and attached to the wire to create a painful barrier. Each inventor believed their variation made the best fencing to keep livestock out of crop fields or confine them to pastures.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Showcase

Date Made

1874-1916

Creator Notes

Barbed wire patented 1874-1916.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

89.4.13

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Metal
Paint (Coating)

Color

Red
Orange (Color)
Blue
White (Color)
Black (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 42 in (Closed)
Width: 22 in (Closed)
Length: 5 in (Closed)

Inscriptions

on left display board: WAR WIRE / ENGLISH WORLD WAR I WIRE 1916 / KOREAN LIGHT GAUGE LONG BARBS / "OUCH" / MODERN SPRING STEEL WAR WIRE / U.S. MODERN TAPE TWISTED / U. S. MODERN PARALLEL HARD STEEL LINE / GERMAN MADE TAPE TYPE FLAT WIRE / KOREAN EXTRA LARGE FOUR POINT WIRE / GERMAN MODERN MILITARY WAR WIRE / on right side display board: VARIOUS / UPHAM'S "SNAIL BARB" PAT. 1883 STERLING, ILLINOIS / M. SHINN'S 'TWISTED OVAL' LOCK BARB 1881 BURLINGTON, IOWA / POOLER-JONES THREE-POINT BARB PAT. 1876 SERENA, ILL. / REYNOLD'S "NECKTIE" 4 POINT 1878 MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA / GLIDDEN'S TWO SQUARE LINE PAT. 1874 DEKALB, ILLINOIS / UNION PACIFIC 1-ROUN 1-SQUARE PAT. 1874 J.F. GLIDDEN / HORSE WIRE "DOUBLE HALF HITCH" TWO LINE / BAKER'S "FLAT BARB" 2 LINE PAT. 1883 DES MOINES, IOWA / SCUTT'S "CLIP" FLAT BARB PAT. 1885 JOLIET, ILLINOIS / BRINKERHOFF-MARTELLE "COMBINATION" AUBURN, N.Y. / SALISBURY'S "LOOP" TWO POINT 1876 DEKALB, ILL. / WATKIN'S "LAZY PLATE" PAT. 1876 JOLIET, ILLINOIS / LAZY PLATE LARGE AND SMALL LINE TWISTED / HAISH'S WALKING CANE WIRE PAT. 1875 DEKALB, ILL. / NADLEHOFFER'S [sic] PARALLEL TWISTED JOLIET, ILL. handwritten on side: WAR WIRE / VARIOUS
Barbed Wire Collection Display, Patented 1874-1916