Herald-Progress is an independent guide to Hanover County and the Town of Ashland, Virginia: its towns and crossroads, its history, the festivals that fill its year, the parks and places worth a trip, and the practical questions of living here. Every page starts with a short answer and lists the sources it relies on.
A short history of this domain
For 137 years the name Herald-Progress belonged to Hanover County’s newspaper. Its roots go back to 1881; in 1919 the Hanover Herald and the Ashland Progress merged into the Herald-Progress. The Watkins family owned it from 1933, Malcolm “Jay” Pace III from 1981, and Lakeway Publishers from 2008. The paper published its final edition on 29 March 2018. Its photo collection is held today by the McGraw-Page Library of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland.
In 2026 the domain was relaunched by Progressive Media GmbH as a new, independent guide. This site is not the former newspaper and is not affiliated with Lakeway Publishers or the paper’s former staff. None of the newspaper’s articles or photographs is republished here. Where an old address still receives links, you will find a page that explains the history and where the original material can be found.
How we work
- Answer first. The essential fact comes in the first two sentences.
- Place before prose. Every page belongs to a real place in the county.
- Sources you can check. County and town offices, the National Park Service, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, schools and the organizers of each event.
- Dated reviews. Every page shows when it was last reviewed.
Who writes here
Thomas Wendel was born in Hannover, Germany, in 1962 and moved to the United States at 32. He lives in Ashland, Virginia. He writes about life between two cultures and about what Germans should know about the United States. He writes and reviews the guides on this site.
Found an error or a date that moved? Please tell us on the contact page. Corrections are made openly and dated on the page.
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