Newton Falls’ post office opened in 1837, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #59 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 20 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Newton Falls post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newton Falls’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newton Falls is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #59 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newton Falls’ overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Newton Falls’ 46.2 sits above most of its state (88% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 21 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.7 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 Falls’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
It is believed that early property owners of Newton Township spent time in Newtown, Connecticut before departing for the Ohio Country and that the name Newton may be a corruption of Newtown. The village's name stems from its location on the falls on the Mahoning River. It grew into a home of the steel manufacturing industry, as did much of the region, aided by its location along the river and the proximity of the nearby Ravenna Training and Logistics Site.
Passages that mention Newton Falls, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A twentieth century history of Trumbull County, Ohio1909 · page 104Read the page →
Read the text
Charles E. Fenton was reared and educated in the district school of Newton and attended the Oberlin College. He followed farming for a time and was engaged in the coal business for about twelve years at Newton Falls. He resided on his farm near Newton Falls and was engaged in the real estate business, being still thus engaged. He was appointed postmaster at Newton Falls by President William McKinley during his first administration and has been twice reappointed since by President Roosevelt. This was a fourth class office when he took it, but it was made
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Newton Falls, 1837 to 1926
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Newton Falls post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Newton Falls rank for history?
Newton Falls is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #59 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Falls?
Three places: the Newton Falls Covered Bridge (listed 1974), the Newton Falls United Service Organization (USO) Center (2018) and the Newton Falls Downtown Historic District (2025).
How old are the homes in Newton Falls?
37% of Newton Falls’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1916
2012
2004