Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Liebzeit, Thoreau, Meinholdt
----Source: Tribune Record Gleaner (Loyal, Clark Co., WI) 7/11/1974
Liebzeit, Harry (Burl Crafts & Teaching - 1974)
Mingling with Mary (By Mary Woods)
A well-known nature poet and write, Henry David Thoreau, stated in his book “Walden,” “I frequently tramped eight or ten miles thru the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.” Perhaps, the meaning of the quotation implies that he treasured nature and saw the beauty of trees, and today in the Greenwood area, Harry Liebzeit has that gift and ability to appreciate the things that nature has given us – even if he cuts a tree down to show it!
Living at route 2, Greenwood, Liebzeit has become known in the area for his hobby of making three burls into different wood ornaments, mainly bowls and mushrooms. According to Liebzeit, a “burl” is a form of cancer in trees which forms a large growth, and in time may destroy the tree.
Asked as to how he became interested in the woodworking business, he states that he has always been interested in the different kinds of wood and as a youngster spent much time in the woods – either working or just walking around. “I guess I’m just a person who enjoys the outdoors and can appreciate the beauty of the things that we take for granted.”
“Making a bowl, a candle holder, or a mushroom isn’t the hard part of turning out a product from the burl – it’s finding the burl,” states Liebzeit. Many hours and days have been spent walking through the woods looking for a burl that is in good shape and can be used for making different wood carvings. I have had several people bring me back burls from all parts of the United States, including as far away as Oregon. It’s surprising how people remember my hobby whenever they go.” He states that in one day he can usually make 15 mushrooms on the lathe that he devised himself.
Besides working with burls, Liebzeit also takes pride in the hutch he made which is in the family kitchen, and the bedroom sets he made for his granddaughters, out of Black Walnut and Black Cherry. He is presently working on a Pine bedroom set for his grandson which will be made of trees that were planted by Mrs. Liebzeit’s father, and are over 80 years old.
Turning away from his hobby of working with wood, Liebzeit moved to the Greenwood area at the age of two when his parents purchased a farm in the a rea. After graduating from Greenwood High School, he received a Life Time Certificate in Rural Education from Stevens Point College. He recalls his days of teaching in a one room school in Clark County and the “long days” that began at 7:30 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. “Many teachers complain about the working conditions of today, but they don’t know what it is like to do all the janitor work, carry wood for the stove, have 65 students in one room, have no assistant to help you correct the papers, have 15 periods in one day, with eight different grades, and get paid $95 for one month, and then during the depression the salary went down to $80.”
When the depression continued, and the future of teaching did not hold much in store, Liebzeit and his wife purchased the Gus Meinholdt farm, in hope of making a better living. Continuing in the farming business, the Liebzeits purchased, three more neighboring farms in the area, each having approximately 80 acres. Liebzeit noted that his gross milk check for the month of June 1936 was $130.21. At the time cheese was priced at 15 cents a pound; milk was $1.26 per 100 pounds, and butter was 31 cents per pound. Records show that the family purchased eight pounds of cheese, 6 pounds of butter, and seven pounds of whey cream for the entire month.
Today, Liebzeit is semi-retired from the farming business and is a sub-teacher for the Greenwood, Loyal, and Neillsville area. He comments with a laugh, “I have taught every class except for girls’ physical education and home economics, and I think I could team them if was asked. Mrs. Liebzeit agreed with the statement on baking with the reply, “He makes the best Rye Bread that anyone could ever ask for.”
If he ever finds some spare time, Liebzeit enjoys several outdoor activities including fishing, hinting, and just walking the woods. His fishing and hunting trips have taken him throughout the country, including the Yukon, where he bagged a Dall Sheep, Moose, and Caribou. He also enjoys using his camera to capture the beauty of nature and shows his slides to several groups and organizations in the area, which is entitled, “Beauty in Clark County Around the Seasons.” His woodworking hobby has given him the opportunity to partake in several arts and crafts shows in which he has received recognition and awards for his outstanding work.
Mr. and Mrs. Liebzeit have one son, Roger, who resides on their farm, along with his wife and three children, who Mr. and Mrs. Liebzeit are very fond of and spend much time with – usually outdoors.
For Harry Liebzeit nature, and life is beautiful. He enjoys people, no matter who they may be or where they are from. He enjoys the company of people who will take the time to look at nature and the beauty that is so simple that many of us overlook, for Harry Liebzeit is just another person who perhaps has, and will continue to “tramp eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.
