The Herald-Progress has a long and storied tradition of serving the community.

The paper’s name, editors and publishers changed three times from 1884 to 1894, during which time W.B. Walton and C.C. Anderson bought the paper and named it the Hanover Herald, which it was called for a few more decades. In 1919 the Hanover Herald and a newly established newspaper, the Ashland Progress, consolidated into The Herald-Progress.

In 1933, promotion manager for the Chicago Daily News, Paul Watkins, and his wife, Lois, moved to Ashland and bought the Herald-Progress. Lois took over the paper after her husband died in 1951. Watkins and her daughter, Marion, led the Herald-Progress to numerous awards and received recognition across the nation. The Virginia Press Women named Watkins “Press Woman of the Year” in 1974. She was bestowed the National Women of Achievement Award two years later by the National Federation of Press Women. The paper became an even bigger part of the Ashland community when Malcolm “Jay” Pace III bought the publication in 1981. Pace and his wife, Pat, along with his brother, Steve, and Steve’s wife, Naomi, managed the paper for years. Jay Pace had served as associate editor, then editor for most of the 70s. Pace was a beloved community figure, participating in local parades and events around the county. The paper moved from its current, Herald-Progress-emblazoned building to the Hanover Industrial Airpark in the early 90s. Before retiring, Pace sold the paper to the CV Corporation of Virginia. After Pace’s unexpected death in 2004, his legacy was immortalized in the statue of him seated outside of the Pamunkey Regional Library, reading a copy of The Herald-Progress.

Lakeway Publishers, Inc bought the paper in 2008, making the Herald-Progress one of their six Virginia papers.

The Herald-Progress, which has served the community since 1881, published its final edition on March 29, 2018.