Cavetown planing mill more than a lumber yard

Headnote

Receives Award From Business Groups

The Cavetown Planing Mill, located in a small town a few miles east of Hagerstown, received the "Made in Washington County Award" last month at the second annual Washington County Business Awards.

Criteria for the award were demonstrated product quality, increased production and sales growth. Although longevity was not a criterion, Cavetown Planing Mill would have surely won for that also. This year, the custom woodwork manufacturer celebrates 120 years in business, all under the guidance of one family.

The company had its beginnings in 1881, when George M. Bushey moved from Baltimore to western Maryland to open a lime quarry, which provided stone for area roads, and a lumber yard. The town and the business were named after caves discovered during the quarrying, operation.

The quarry closed 40 years ago, but George's descendants have expanded the planing mill company into several related businesses. Bob Bushey, the current CEO and the founder's great grandson, retired from a career as an Air Force pilot to join the company in 1982.

His daughter, Peggy Bushey, who joined the company in 1989, became the president of the Cavetown Planing Mill Co. in 1991. She handles daily operations, while her father works on special projects. "He'll be planning the summer celebration of our 120th anniversary," she says.

"If it's made of wood, we can do it for you. At Cavetown Planing Mill, everything is custom woodwork."

The company has built and installed furnishings in the Washington County Courthouse, including bulletproof paneling on the judge's bench; reproduced trim and curved stair railings for the renovation of the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore; supplied millwork for the Sears World Headquarters and a number of restaurants in the metropolitan area, including Starbucks; and won a Washington Building Congress Award for the National Cathedral gatehouse. "We've even built bug boxes-display cabinets-for the Smithsonian," says Bushey.

Although recently the company has been focusing more...