Newton is a town in Dale County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. At the 2010 census its population was 1,511. Once the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Dale County, Newton lost this distinction to nearby Ozark in 1870, and is now a small farming community. It incorporated in 1887. The city currently forms a part of the Ozark micropolitan statistical area.

Geography

Newton is located at 31°21′N 85°36′W (31.344,-85.593). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.21%) is water. The Choctawhatchee River flows just to the north and west of Newton. At one time this waterway was navigable by steamboat from its mouth in Choctawhatchee Bay,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

all the way to Newton. Alabama State Route 123 and Alabama State Route 134 both pass through Newton.

History

Newton was founded in 1843 after the formation of Coffee County from Dale County's western half, which rendered the original county seat of Daleville off-center. The town was a scene for Confederate recruiting during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and was the site of a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

in March 1865 between local

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

troops and elements of the 1st Florida Cavalry (US) operating out of

. The Federals were led by Joseph Sanders, a Dale County resident who had previously been a captain in the 31st Georgia Infantry, but had later switched sides and joined the Federals. Seeking to burn the county courthouse, the attackers were repulsed when local troops ambushed their column as they entered the town. This event is commemorated by a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

located in downtown Newton, and by annual re-enactments. On December 3, 1864, a local

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister named Bill Sketoe was lynched just north of Newton by local Home Guardsmen led by Captain Joseph Brear. Since Sketoe was tall, a hole had to be dug beneath his feet to accommodate his large frame. Local legend insists that "the hole that won't stay filled" never vanished—even after being filled in numerous times during the years that followed. Though covered in 1979 by a new bridge and tons of rip-rap, "Sketoe's hole" remains a local attraction, and was documented by Alabama writer Kathryn Tucker Windham in '' 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey''. A monument to Sketoe was dedicated near the hanging site in 2006, and the local museum displays items of Sketoe memorabilia.Historic Building Serves New Purpose as Town Hall
. Retrieved on May 1, 2009. Following a fire which destroyed the courthouse in March 1869, and the formation of Geneva County in 1870 from the southern third of Dale and Coffee Counties, voters relocated the county seat to Ozark, which was more centralized. '' The Southern Star'', one of the oldest newspapers in the Wiregrass area, was first published in Newton in 1867. It later relocated to Ozark, where it continues to be published today. Newton remained a port for river boats on the nearby Choctawhatchee, until the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

arrived in 1890. The Baptist Collegiate Institute operated in the city from 1898 to 1929; its main building now houses the city's public library.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,708 people, 693 households, and 510 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 790 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.20%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 15.52%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.06% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 693 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,021, and the median income for a family was $35,795. Males had a median income of $28,924 versus $19,559 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,263. About 13.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,511 people, 650 households, and 439 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 738 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 83.6%

, 13.0%

, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2%

, 0.0% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 650 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were

living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $47,019. Males had a median income of $43,021 versus $30,368 for females. The

for the town was $21,781. About 9.2% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the

, including 22.8% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,607 people, 655 households, and 479 families residing in the town.

Schools

Newton has its own Elementary School.

References

{{authority control Towns in Dale County, Alabama Towns in Alabama Populated places established in 1843 Reportedly haunted locations in Alabama 1843 establishments in Alabama