{"nrhp_refnum":"79002999","name":"Newton County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off TX 190","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Newton County","state":"TX","lat":30.847790970000062,"lon":-93.75995004699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story, mansard-roofed county courthouse on the town square in Newton, Newton County, Texas, built in 1902-1903 by contractors Martin and Moody of Comanche, Texas.","why_significant":"The courthouse is a regional interpretation of the Second Empire style, which was considered appropriate for public buildings at the turn of the century. It has been the seat of county government since 1903. It also recalls the long conflict over where the county seat would be located, which was settled by an election that chose Newton.","narrative":"Dominating the town square in Newton, Texas, this three-story courthouse was built in 1902-1903 by contractors Martin and Moody of Comanche at a cost of $21,947. Its mansard roof, projecting bays, quoins, hood moldings and truncated clock tower reflect the Second Empire style, a 19th-century mode that remained popular for public buildings in Texas well into the 1900s. A two-story jail annex was added to the south in 1935-1936, and a 1972-1973 renovation replaced the original doors and windows and lowered ceilings. The building also recalls a lengthy dispute over the county seat. After the county's creation in 1846, the seat moved four times in a decade, and a fifth move was petitioned, before a legislatively ordered election chose Newton. The courthouse has served the county continuously since 1903 and has hosted fairs, election returns, celebrations and exhibits on its grounds.","period_of_significance":"1902-1903","architect_builder":"Martin and Moody, Contractors","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"In use as the county courthouse, with offices, courtrooms, sheriff's offices, jail facilities and public meeting space. Renovated in 1972-1973, when original doors and windows were replaced.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.203628-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/92/9730/40973092/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002999.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002999/450d70cfe4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002999/450d70cfe4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newton_county_tx_courthouse_2015.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newton_county_tx_courthouse_2015.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973092","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_County_Courthouse_(Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107321369"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/newton-county/newton-county-courthouse-79002999/"}