Norman turned 100 in June 2007 ..
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The History of Norman
By Shirley Shewmake Manning
A revolutionary event in the economic and social life of the farm families of western Montgomery county occurred in 1907. The Gurdon-Fort Smith Railroad, (purchased by the Iron Mountain Railroad in January 1910, and later, the Missouri Pacific Railroad) was approaching Montgomery county on its southern border, with plans to continue through the county on its journey north to Fort Smith—the intended terminus.
Situated approximately midway between Gurdon and Fort Smith was the existing town of Black Springs. It was the intention of developers to place a depot at Black Springs and to use that as a major transportation point for shipping the soon to be harvested virgin pine timber from the area. However, due to a land dispute between the railroad representative, Col. Grayson, and Mr. Robbins, the line was stopped two miles east of Black Springs. With nothing but a sagegrass field in the immediate area the Womble family, Mrs. Celia Elizabeth Womble and her sons Walter E., Theodore A., and Oscar O., of Black Springs, saw an opportunity and seized it. Celia Womble immediately lay claim to unclaimed land filing for ownership through a U.S. Government Patent. Her sons purchased land from local owners.
Walter E., Oscar O., and Mr. E.M. Short immediately formed the Womble Land and Timber Company, as well. Walter Womble filed an application with the U.S. Government and was granted the right to open a post office under the name of Womble on July 17, 1907. He served as the first postmaster until March 1, 1922. The town was not incorporated until 1910.
The post office name was officially changed from Womble to Norman on June 1, 1925. The town of Womble was renamed Norman after a petition was circulated and filed with the Montgomery County Court. The name Norman was officially instituted on March 17, 1925. [Deed Bk 16, pg 407. Ordinance No. 13, Abercrombie, Mayor; Aldermen: J.S. Bates, A.A. Reece, A.L. Hughes, J.L. Pinkerton, Dave Johnson.]
It is unclear as to why the change took place, but speculation has it that the townspeople were not happy with Walter E. over several issues. One of which was his bringing suit against the Womble Election Board and the County Board of Education, on which Dr. John T. Barr then served and continued to serve for over 20 years. (The board was formed by order of the state in 1920. Members were elected by their districts).
Walter Womble alleged that funds had been misused by allowing Caddo Valley Academy the use of the Public School building and its contents. He further alleged that Caddo Valley Academy was nothing more than a “mountain mission school,” and that the election held in May 1922, had been mishandled in numerous ways.
The charges were investigated by Mr. J.R. Long, the county Board of Education’s attorney, and found to be either nonspecific or did not apply to the jurisdiction of the board. All were dismissed. Womble took the matter to the Montgomery county Circuit Court, but naught was to come of the issue.
In the meantime Walter himself was charged with perjury, false pretense, embezzlement, and along with both his brothers, assault and battery upon the person of Mr. George Sherman. The three of them had set up a corporation to build a road through Womble to Mt. Ida and Walter had been appointed overseer and manager. He was charged with the misuse of county road funds. Again, it is unclear as to the final outcome. Documents found in the Montgomery county court records show the cases were noll processed. However, some court documents have mysteriously disappeared from the vault. It appears that there might have been a deal—leave town and the charges will be dropped, stay and you will be prosecuted. This is conjecture on the part of this author, based on records, oral interviews, and the family genealogy.
The circumstance surrounding the Womble family and the reaction of the townspeople by standing by Caddo Valley Academy and Dr. John T. Barr, not only in this instance but in many others, provides a clear picture of the importance the town placed on education and Caddo Valley Academy; and the part the Presbyterian Church played in its history.
At the time of the town’s inauguration the community was primarily a sparsely inhabited farming community with farmers having to make week-long trips to Hot Springs or Little Rock to sell their goods and purchase necessary items they couldn’t raise on the family farm. One bale of cotton often provided the family the necessities, such as salt and sugar, shoes and clothing, for an entire year. The railroad and the construction of the Black Springs Lumber Company, (not in the intended town of Black Springs, but in Womble), offered new job opportunities heretofore unknown in Montgomery county. The railroad became the “spine” of the timber and agriculture industry.
The first passenger train came to Womble on January 1, 1908, and the last on December 6, 1962. Farmers sold their family farms, or left them in the hands of wives and children, while they joined the fast growing timber industry. They became a sawmill worker in the timber woods, a tie cuter for the railroad, or a mill worker at the Black Springs Lumber Company; or worked at one of the smaller sawmill sets.
Small sawmills sprang up all over the mountains as virgin timber was cut and shipped by rail to larger towns. Spur lines were laid into the forest and as one section was cut out the rails were taken up and moved to a new location. In this way the timber was harvested and shipped via the railroad at Womble. At last, western Montgomery county was connected to the outside world.
The town grew quickly and what was just a short time ago a sagefield became a community of over 900 persons, making it the largest settlement in Montgomery county. A company store offered credit, and farm families experienced the advantages heretofore known only to “city folk.”
As the town increased so did the number of children and the need for better and larger schools and higher education. Children of farm families were needed at home to work the fields, but children of loggers and sawmill workers had more time and interest in education. Parents saw an opportunity for their children to have advantages they didn’t have and they fully supported the move to higher and better education.
Read the story of Caddo Valley Academy and Norman High School on this web site, and if you are interested in knowing more you might want to check out the books with this history and a lot more. Check our Publications page.