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Haish Memorial Library

DeKalb, the home of barbed wire, was without a dedicated structure to house the city's library until 1930. Jacob Haish, a German immigrant and inventor of a barbed wire-making machine, left $150,000 in his will for a library's construction.

The general contractors, Skoglund & Wedburg constructed the library located on a site purchased for $20,000. The building was constructed of Indiana Bedford limestone. The stone was colored and textured through the use of rotating steel shot and iron filings placed in the saw scarf during cutting. The patrons found a reading area that included a marble fireplace and an art gallery. This art deco building is listed on the National Historic Register.

Side Note: Contractor Wedburg died shortly after the library's completion when a beam fell, striking him on the head while he was working on another project.