Formed March 1, 1846 (50th county)
Newton County (14,445), Newton (2,478)
The stately Second Empire courthouse in Newton was built in 1902 but burnt in 2000. It sits on the square at Court and Kaufman Streets. United States Highway 190 enters town from the west on Court Street and exits to the south on Kaufman Street. The original yellow brick building’s architects were William Martin and Peter Moodie. The building was enlarged in 1936 and renovated in 1973. The courthouse was completely restored in 2012 following the 2000 fire. The first county courthouse was located in Burkeville in 1848. Two courthouses have been in Newton beginning in 1853; however, Newton was the county seat without a courthouse from the county’s origin on March 1, 1846 until 1848. The county was taken from Jasper County as the 50th county. Newton county and city are named for Sergeant John Newton of American Revolutionary fame.
Newton County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. Two District Court Judges serve Newton, Jasper, Sabine, and San Augustine counties, One District Court Judge serves Newton, Jasper, and Tyler counties, and One County Court Judge serves Newton County. The county is east of Houston, Texas and northeast of Beaumont, Texas. Louisiana is across the Sabine River on the county’s east border. The county center is 1.8 miles Southeast of Newton. The county is surrounded clockwise by Sabine County and Louisiana and Orange and Jasper counties.
The area of the county is 940 square miles. It is 103 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 142 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 15.37 persons per square mile making it 146 out of 254 in the state. Newton County has 17.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 190 enters from the east from Louisiana and exits to the west to Jasper County. The county is a tall glass shape. Newton is in the north half of the county. Newton is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 17.2% of the county population.
Newton
