Happy Anniversary, Red Brand™!

In 2024, Red Brand™ celebrates 135 years as the leading Made-in-America fencing product.

How it started:

Peter Sommer and his sons invented the first machine to weave wire into fence. Surely, they didn’t expect that the company Sommer founded would be a thriving steel and fence manufacturer 135 years later. But that’s what happened when a patent was issued in 1889 to Sommer and his sons, John and Peter, for the first wire fence-weaving machine. The original machine was built by hand, as was the fence that came off it. The mesh pattern resembled a keystone, and thus, two years after the first machine was built, the company was named Keystone Woven Wire Fence Company.

This new fence solution was transformational, not only for Sommer, but for his neighbors. At first, the father and son team could produce about 200 feet of fence in a 16-hour day. However, as word of his invention began to spread, Sommer and his sons were forced to improve their methods to keep up with demand. After moving and expanding the facilities several times, the company settled at its current location in Bartonville, Illinois, adjacent to Peoria.

 How it’s going:

Not only did they invent the first machine to weave into fence, they opened a steel mill to ensure an ongoing quality supply of steel for their products. Now LIBERTY Peoria remains a thriving mill employing almost 1,000 people in the Peoria area. Red Brand remains a well-known and much-loved fencing product for everyone from big ranchers to hobby farmers.

Happy Anniversary, Red Brand!