Newton’s post office opened in 1871, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #18 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
15 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 235 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Newton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newton is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #18 of 151 in Kansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newton’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Newton’s 135 sits above most of its state (96% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 248 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Newton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia westward to Newton by July 1871. The town soon became an important railroad shipping point of Texas cattle.
The city was founded in 1871 and named after Newton, Massachusetts, home of some of the Santa Fe stockholders.
In August 1871, the Gunfight at Hide Park occurred, in which eight men were killed. The incident began with an argument between two local lawmen, Billy Bailey and Mike McCluskie. Because of this incident, Newton became known as "bloody and lawless—the wickedest city in the west."
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Newton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1957Newton sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Newton.
Every building
Newton, building by building, 1884–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Newton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Newton rank for history?
Newton is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #18 of 151 in Kansas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Newton?
15 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Warkentin House (listed 1970, the first), 3 historic districts, the Newton Main Street Historic District II, the Newton Main Street Historic District I and the McKinley Residential Historic District, with 235 contributing buildings, 1 structure, and 1 object. 248 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Newton?
22% of Newton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1965.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (16), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1907
1908
