Newton County is named for Thomas W Newton, who was a State Senator and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Carroll County and Boone County
E – Searcy County
S – Pope County and Johnson County
W – Johnson County and Madison County
Created: December 14, 1842 
County Seat:
Shop Creek 1842 – 1843
Jasper 1843 – present
County Courthouse – Jasper
Location: 100 Court Street / Stone Street
Built: 1939 – 1940
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Works Progress Administration
Contractor: Works Progress Administration
Description: The building faces north and is a two story reinforced concrete, fieldstone and limestone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Jasper. The building is “H” shaped with projecting east and west sections. The central entrance is framed with granite. The exterior walls are constructed of gray colored granite quarried from the bed of the Little Buffalo River. The roof line is flat. The interior has concrete floors. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located along the east side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 14th Judicial Circuit and the County District Court. The building was remodeled in 2003. The architect was Jeff Laur. To the northeast is the Old County Jail built in 1903 to 1904.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Newton County Courthouse
See: The 14th Judicial circuit includes Baxter County, Boone County and Marion County.
History: The county was created in 1842 and the home of John Belleh on Shop Creek was designated as the county seat. In 1843, the county seat was moved to Jasper. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1842 and which burned in 1866. Court met at different locations until 1873 when the second courthouse was designed and built by Robbie Hobbs. The third courthouse was constructed in 1902 and burned in 1939. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 to 1940 at a cost of $42,000.
County Courthouse – Jasper
County Circuit Court courtroom
Old County Jail – Jasper
Photos taken 2011 and 2025
Images 13*