The company continued to grow with the addition of the Caswell Messenger in Yanceyville, N.C., in 1966 and Star-Tribune in Chatham, Va., in 1969. About the same time, Womack Publishing launched the Bull Mountain Bugle in Stuart, Va., and purchased the Clarksville Times in Clarksville, Va. It started the Gretna Gazette in Gretna, Va., in 1974.
Charles Womack Jr. purchased the company in 1975, and the Clarksville Times, Bull Mountain Bugle, and Commercial Appeal were sold.
The company continued to expand, however, with the purchase of additional community weeklies and the successful start of newspapers at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia and Lake Norman in North Carolina.
Based in Chatham, Virginia, the Womack Group now publishes 21 community newspapers, two of which are dailies, in three states (Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado).
In Virginia, the company's newspapers include the Star-Tribune in Chatham, Altavista Journal, Times-Virginian in Appomattox, Union-Star in Brookneal, Smith Mountain Eagle in Moneta, South Hill Enterprise, and Independent Messenger in Emporia.
The company's North Carolina newspapers include the Lake Gaston Gazette in Littleton, Mebane Enterprise, Caswell Messenger in Yanceyville, News of Orange in Hillsborough, Montgomery Herald in Troy, Warren Record in Warrenton, and Lake Norman Times in Mooresville.
In 2001, Womack Publishing purchased three newspapers in Colorado, including its first daily, The Telluride Daily Planet. The purchase also included the weekly Norwood Post.
In addition, Womack Publishing is affiliated with two other companies, Womack Newspapers Inc. and Colorado Newspapers Inc.
Charles Womack III is president of Womack Newspapers, which publishes the Jamestown News in Jamestown, N.C., and Outer Banks Sentinel in Nags Head, N.C. Colorado Newspapers includes the daily La Junta Tribune-Democrat and weekly Bent County Democrat and Fowler Tribune.
In addition, Womack publishes telephone directories, monthly magazines, visitors' guides, and a number of other publications.
