NORMAN HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY By Shirley Manning When the town of
Womble, Arkansas, had its beginning it was little more than a
crossroads in Southern Montgomery County. It wasn’t until the
depot in the town of Black Springs, the intended terminus of the
Gurdon–Ft. Smith Railroad, failed to materialize that Womble was
born, in 1907. (The town changed its name to Norman in June
1925.) Three Womble brothers, along with their mother Celia
Womble, saw an opportunity to advance themselves and the
community and quickly purchased the area now known as Norman,
where they created a new town. The Black Springs Lumber Company,
also intended for the town of Black Springs, located itself in
the new town to be near the railroad. It was by this means that
the virgin timber was cut and transported out of Montgomery
County to various parts of the country. Womble became the
largest town in the county, with over 900 people. It also had
the distinction of being the only town with a railroad, a depot,
and the first to have electric