Most of Newton was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: maps from 1984 on and the census since 1880.
The Newton post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1853. Another post office, Newton Court House (1847), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 68 in 18802020 census: 1,633179 years
How historic is Newton?
B+
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Newton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1853.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 71% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newton’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Newton’s 27.6 sits above most of its state (92% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1853.
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.
Both Newton County and its county seat, Newton, were named after John Newton, a supposed hero of the American Revolutionary War, but John Newton's heroics are said to be a product of Parson Weems, who also fictionalized the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. In 1853, disputes led to the building of a courthouse and town in the county's geographical center instead of in Burkeville, a community 11 miles north northeast of Newton. A second courthouse in Newton, a Second Empire-style structure, was built in 1902–1903 with bricks from nearby Caney Creek, according to a Texas Historical Commission marker. The town was incorporated in 1935 and remains the only incorporated city in the county. The town's public school began when the W.H. Ford Male and Female College was chartered in 1889. The site of the college later became the Powell Hotel and now serves as a museum and houses th…
Newton had its own post office from 1847 to 1847. Another post office, Newton Court House, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Newton
1847–1847
Newton Court House
1847–1847
Newton
1853–today
18401930today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Newton’s history
What year was Newton founded?
The Newton post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1853.
How does Newton rank for history?
Newton is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns. 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?
Three places: the Newton County Courthouse (listed 1979), the Autrey-Williams House (2013) and the Seward Plantation (2013).
How old are the homes in Newton?
4% of Newton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (3), Wikidata (2), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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