Newton County is named for John Newton, who was a sergeant who served under General Francis Marion in the Revolutionary War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Jasper County
E – Lawrence County and Barry County
S – McDonald County
W – Ottawa County, Oklahoma and Cherokee County, Kansas
Created: December 31, 1838 
County Seat:
Neosho 1838 – present
County Courthouse – Neosho
Location: 101 South Wood Street / East Spring Street
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Neal C Davis of St. Louis
Contractor: Local trades under Work Projects Administration
Description: The building faces west and is a three story Carthage stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Neosho. The north and south wings are lower. The center section has a stone framed entrance with small canopy above. The windows are vertical and the roof line is flat. The courtroom is located on the second story.This was a Work Projects Administration project. The landscape architect was M W Woodward. The building was renovated in 1996 to 1998. The contractor was Roger Hulsey Enterprises.
History: The county was created in 1838 and Neosho was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a hewn-log structure built in Neosho in 1840 to 1841 at a cost of $150 to $300. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built by John Plummer in 1847 to 1849 at a cost of $3000. This building was destroyed during the Civil War. The third courthouse was a two story frame structure built by J C Herms in 1867 at a cost of $2500 to 4600. The fourth courthouse was designed by C B Clarke of St. Louis and constructed by E W Bray in 1877. The courthouse was razed in 1935. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1936 to 1937 at a cost of $162,687.
County Courthouse – Neosho
Photos taken 2009