Ordie Price's Sawmill

Ordie Price’s Sawmill has always been a family business.

Ordie E. Price Sr. began sawing hardwood and softwood lumber in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna County back in 1928. It was not until 1932 that his wife Doreen (Dolly) D. Price assumed an active roll in the family business. They worked together managing operations until Ordie Sr’s death in 1963. In memory of her late husband, what began as Price’s Lumber turned into Ordie Price’s Lumber, and then eventually Ordie Price’s Sawmill. Throughout their marriage Ordie and Dolly did many different jobs together including sawing hurricane timber in Hillsboro, NH for three seasons, and welding in shipyards on both the East and West coasts during WWII.

In the early years, Price’s Lumber supplied local customers with their lumber needs, ranging from rough-cut lumber to building materials such as flooring and paneling. In addition to their local markets Price’s Lumber had only a handful of business accounts including Catawissa Lumber and Specialty Company, Bethlehem Steel, Pennsylvania House Furniture, and Bally Block Company.

Helping Ordie and Dolly fill both local and business orders was Ordie’s brother Paul M. Price. “Uncle” Paul’s daily tasks were many, ranging from scaling logs, to running a Yates-American planner and an American Woodworking Machine Company belt driven moulder. It was with these machines that Ordie and Uncle Paul ran flooring, paneling, and other building materials. These machines are no longer used, but to this day, they are still located on the premises. From time to time, people will still stop in and ask about Uncle Paul and tell us how all the wood in their house came from Price’s Lumber.

Ordie Sr. and Dolly had several children among them was Ordie Jr. Ordie Jr. was 12 years old when his father past away. As a child, he watched his mother continue on with the family business. Upon graduating high school, Ordie attended East Stroudsburg University obtaining a degree in elementary education. After teaching briefly, Ordie returned to South Gibson to help Dolly run the sawmill.

Once out of college Ordie Jr. married his now wife Aline. It was in the mid 80’s that Ordie and Aline decided to modernize the sawmill and expand operations. Located within sight of the original sawmill, Ordie and Aline built a new facility with modern computerized equipment. As time went on, and expansions continued, the sawmill grew and more buildings and equipment were added, including a stacker building, wood fired boiler, four dry kilns, a dry line, and four lumber buildings.

To date, O.P. Sawmill is still a family run organization. Ordie and Aline currently oversee the office, while their two sons Ordie III and Austin oversee sales, management, and operations.