Pete-
My shop was north of Frederick/south of Gettysburg. To drive and inspect lumber, I used to find excellent material and fair prices at Lafferty Lumber in LeMoyne, just south side of Harrisburg. All domestics, but sometimes unusual stuff, like clear wide sassafras boards or such. Keep in mind, that was 25 -35 years ago. It was a sleepy place and the impression was one of those old line places left over from the 30's/ 40's where some of the office staff went to an early liquid lunch and surreptitiously dozed through the afternoon. I imagine that since they are still in business, things may be quite different.
I bought a lot from Mann & Parker, but they would cheat you as a matter of course if the lumber wasn't counted every load. A lot of shops along the Mason Dixon line bought from them because they had very good material and the prices were pretty good as quoted. The caveat was that 1,000 ft ordered and invoiced for somehow ended up being around 820 or so delivered for the quoted price. This wasn't just me, it was half a dozen shops I was familiar with. The rules more or less allow them to add shrinkage (5%) but somehow they always tried to stretch it to 15% - 25%. Again: 25 - 40 year old experiences.
Near Mann & Parker, for specialty boards, wide boards, Sandy Pond Hardwoods. Drive and see.
Your reference suggests that you may be trying to discover Hicksville Planing Mill? I was one of Robert Miller's first customers & introduced his best customer for the past 2 decades to him, and continue to this day to buy something, usually one of the mahoganies, about once every few years. However he continues to forget who I am even when I show up, lol.
Regular customers used to be able to arrive even during off hours, pull their lumber, and let Robert know later how much they got and settle up. Then one time the crew showed up and there was a customer dead under a collapsed lumber pile. I think you can still pick your own. Even though Robert always asks "who are you again?" they show me the pile or get it down with the forklift, and then leave me alone until I am loaded.
Prices are not as great as they used to be but still better than most places for most materials. It has routinely been worth the drive from upstate NY anytime for 500 ft of any of the mahoganies. One of the sons took over about 15 years ago and kind of improved the financial side. Robert used to toss all the money in the top drawer in his unattended office, just stuffed full of Bens & Grants. One of my late friends who built pool tables used to get on Robert about 2 things, raising his prices to make a profit, and getting a little more secure about his cash deposit system. Roberts response was always (very slow drawl) "Weeeelllll.......then at the end of the year I'd have to give it all to the IRS.....(pause)..... This way I just give a little away every day".
They are hugely good people, but I have to say that typically no one in the mill can read lumber in the sense that a cabinet maker or millwork guy can. If you order lumber as opposed to select it yourself, they might send a huge wide board, very pleased & proud of sharing it with you, but it will have checks into the center, a huge cat face, black stain throughout, and perhaps a punky area on the back. If you buy cypress, they don't know that it should be all heartwood, and hence the pile will need a lot of selecting. Etc, etc. They have some young people working there that are quietly proud of their work and beginning to improve the professionalism of the millwork. They even have some cnc lathes and a big cnc router in a separate facility down the road. There is usually very good lumber in the yard in most common species and some imports, but best to select your own.
BTW, Robert is Mennonite, not Amish. They have always had an office phone.
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smt
