A history of Newton,
since 1845
Postcards, papers and photographs of Newton from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusNewton is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Newton had a population of 13,148. It is the county seat of Catawba County. Newton is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Newton was established in 1845. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 12,968 people in 2010, 13,148 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1977.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Newton yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Newton’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewA spinner and a doffer in Catawba…, 1908: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Newton
See all 16 →
Newton, decade by decade
CommonsA spinner and a doffer in Catawba Cotton Mill, Newton, N.C.…1908
CommonsA spinner in Clyde Cotton Mill, Newton, N.C. LOC nclc.015461908
CommonsA spinner in Cycle Cotton Mill, Newton, N.C. She was 49 inc…1908
CommonsChild workers in1908
CommonsThis little spinner has been in the mill 4 years. She was a…1908
CommonsWarper at his machine, Newton, N.C. LOC cph.3a4766219081990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as A spinner and a doffer in Catawba Cotton Mill, Newton, N.C. Out of forty employed there were ten almost as small as the… (1908) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.