TV Show Centers Around Skilled Local Craftsman, Eric Hollenbeck Owner of Blue Ox Millworks

On Tuesday, March 15, a beloved local woodworker, Eric Hollenbeck owner of Blue Ox Millworks, stars in a show centered around his restoration of historic homes and antique treasures such as an old trolley car.

Hollenbeck and his skilled woodworking have brought national attention to his business multiple times over the years. In 2015, he and other talented local workers helped recreate the hearse that carried President Lincoln’s body through Springfield, Illinois for his final funeral procession. Quite literally, with its large gold leafed pillars and silver details, the hearse is a glittering treasure and our local craftspeople were instrumental in building it—often with rare antique tools. A treadle scroll saw, for instance, was used to create some of the fancy work on the hearse.

https://www.facebook.com/blueoxmillworks/videos/731821364843514/

If you’ve never been to the Blue Ox Mill take a trip and see it before you watch the show, it’s a mixture of whimsical treasures and solid, sawdust covered handiwork. Very few don’t fall in love with the antique machines that are put to use to create real pieces sometimes right in front of visitors’ eyes. The treadle scroll saw used to create the fancy work on President Lincoln’s hearse was still there the last time this reporter dropped by less than a year ago.

The real treasure though, is Eric himself. Below is Eric rescuing a young hawk.

https://www.facebook.com/blueoxmillworks/videos/378504620306768/

Here’s Eric talking about what he does. The love for the area and for what he does warms his voice and we confess, our heart…

Transcript of the conversation with Eric:

I’m Eric Hollenbeck, co-owner of Blue Ox Millworks with my wife, Viviana. We are in our 48th year of business. We’re a predominantly a working Victorian job shop. We make architectural mill work for buildings all over the United States. We are also a school for at risk students. We’ve done that 22 years now. We’ve had a veteran’s program. We have done unbelievable projects all over the U.S. Oh, and we’re open for tours because we’re a at working job shop.

I’m born and raised in Eureka. I’m a native. So where I grew up, in fact, I grew up 10 blocks from here. So Eureka is a really unique place. You know, I didn’t realize it growing up, of course, cuz I was little. 63% or better of the buildings that were here when I grew up 65 years ago are still here and there is a continuity in that, there is a history in that, that for me, is really important.

I do work on buildings that I grew up under the shade of. That adds a continuity to life. That’s an important thing to me.

Our school program, I told you, we started 22 years ago. It’s for students that are having a hard time in the traditional sit-down setting. And we started that because I’m one of those kids. I left school when I was 16 and started working in the woods cuz I can’t read, they told me I was stupid. So I figure if I’m stupid, I may as well go to work in the woods.

They’re great kids. There’s nothing wrong with the kids. They’re just doers and not sitters, like me. They have to be moving. They gotta be doing stuff. They gotta be adding to life somehow with their hands.

So we just finished eight episodes for discovery+ and they’re editing it right now. It’s gonna come out on the Magnolia Network and I’m really excited about how wonderful they made Eureka look.

It was important to me and Viv when we said yes, we would do this with them, that we show Eureka to the outside world cuz we’re, let’s face it. We’re behind the Redwood curtain and the Redwood curtain is holding up fine. It’s doing great. It’s done what it’s done for the last 150 years. It’s doing wonderful. So if we could get it out, what we have here in this wonderful place that we live in. But then a new thing dawned on me and that is what if for the locals, the program could get across the concept of what a wonderful place we lived in. That would be a win-win. That would be a home run, as far as I’m concerned. If we could see ourselves – cuz we take that drive from Eureka to Arcata – there are people in the world that would kill to have that drive. You got the bay, and all of the waterfront on one side, you’ve got the fields and the cows that blend into the hillside of timberland on the other side, as far as you can see it’s to timberland, that’s all that it is! What an amazing place we live. And the network is pushing really hard to show that. And that, that excites me.

At the top of this post is the trailer for his show, The Craftsman, which premieres with two episodes on Tuesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. only on Magnolia Network and streaming on discovery+.

And don’t forget to stop by and see this local treasure yourself. Go here for more information: https://www.blueoxmill.com/

Note: an earlier version of this story gave the incorrect date for the show to air.