Homestead will exhibit works by Mabel Glidden – Shaw Local

DeKALB – Various paintings and drawings created by Mabel Carter Glidden will be on display at the JF Glidden Homestead Welcome Center, 921 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, during its hours of operation from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 10.

The Glidden House will be open for tours, and the Phineas Vaughan Blacksmith Shop will also be open and operating that day while volunteer blacksmiths demonstrate the craftsmanship.

Mabel attended a DeKalb public high school, then entered Waterman Hall, an Episcopal school for girls in Sycamore. This is where his love of art developed. Mabel continued her art education at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she took classes for three years, but did not receive a degree, as it was not yet offered. In 1893, she worked for many months decorating the Children’s Building at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This structure was designed as a toilet block to accommodate up to 100 children whose parents attended the fair.

Mabel married John W. Glidden, Joseph’s nephew, and after Joseph’s death their family moved into the Glidden farm. What is now the Glidden Campus Florist was started by Mabel in 1925 when she began selling vegetable plants grown in a small lean-to greenhouse. Additional greenhouses were later added, and in 1966 the current flower shop was built. Mabel never lost her love of gardening or art and could be seen tending to her flowers in the front yard of the farm until she was over 90 years old.

The Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center is a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the home and barn, while providing educational opportunities for the public.

The house and visitor center are open from noon to 4 p.m. every Sunday, June through November, with a special event in December. Admission is $4 for adults; children under 14 and farm members are admitted free.

For more information, call 815-756-7904, visit www.gliddenhomestead.org or visit JF Glidden Homestead & Historical Center on Facebook.