Newton 150

Trails to Rails: Newton Past, Present and Future

Formed at the juncture of Native American trails and solidified through the railroad, Newton has a proud history as a thriving center of transportation.

Some of the earliest Western accounts of the people include notes from the Spanish explorer Coronado documenting grass house villages that he would refer to as “the Quivira.” The trails through this land would be documented as a large pre-colonial settlement of Indigenous people that had been forced out of Kansas by the time the cattle drives would begin.

William Becknell would establish the Santa Fe Trail in 1821, which at 780 miles was one of the longest commercial routes in the United States. Jesse Chisholm’s name would be forever etched in history for scouting perhaps the most famous of the cattle trails, which would carry 5 million longhorns from Texas to Kansas. In 1868, the mayor of Topeka, Cyrus K. Holiday, broke ground on a new railroad to run along the Santa Fe Trail -- the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.

On an August morning in 1870, several men, including Judge RWP Muse and railroad representative D.L. Lakin, went out to find a spot to terminate the Chisholm Trail. As they stopped at the banks of Sand Creek for lunch, they determined it was to be the spot. The first Santa Fe Depot was constructed in 1871, and the first train stopped here July 17, 1871. The original town was platted at the end of August 1871, being bordered by 12th Street to the north, 5th Street to the south, Ash to the west and Pine to the east. They would call the town Newton, after the city in Massachusetts where many Santa Fe stockholders lived. The settlement was incorporated as a city on February 22, 1872.

Today, we see the revitalization of the rail lines through expanded passenger rail and continued freight lines, keeping trains at the heart of our community. While our trails have changed in look and sometimes use, we continue to walk in the same paths as those before us – finding time to walk or bike along Sand Creek and seeing unlimited potential just as the founders once did.

150 Years on Main Street

Newton’s Beginnings

• The first people (Wichita and Pawnee)
• 1541 – Coronado explored
• 1869 – Dr. T.S. Floyd becomes first settler
• 1871 – First town map plat
• 1871 – Five men killed at Perry Tuttle’s Dance Hall, earning us the nickname “Bloody Newton”
• Main Street Business Boom
  • A. F. Horner storage and supply store located at 5th and Main.
  • In March 1871, Walton’s Blacksmith Shop was located on what would become West 5th.
  • Pioneer Store, owned and operated by Peter Luhn, was originally a wooden structure typical of the Western frontier style and would later be replaced by a larger stone building.
• Feb. 22, 1872 – Newton incorporated as a city
• Aug. 22, 1872 – The first issue of the Newton Kansan is printed by Henry C. Ashbaugh
• Sept. 2, 1872 – First school opens in Newton in the Ringolsky Building
• 1873 – First Bank of Newton established (now INTRUST Bank)

Rail Town Years

• 1880 – First Harvey County Jail built in the 800 block of Main
• 1880 – St. Mary’s Catholic School established
• 1880s – Newton enjoyed a building boom and improvements. Prominent businessmen built large elaborate homes on East First Street. East Third was referred to as the “cut-glass row.”
• 1882 – Second depot built
• 1886 – Warkentin Mill built
• 1886 – Newton Public Library opens in Carnegie building
• 1887 – Bethel College chartered
• 1887 – Axtell Hospital founded
• 1897 – Commercial club works to bring Santa Fe headquarters back to Newton
• 1890 – Financial panic from over-building and speculation results in bankruptcy of three Newton banks, the Newton Street Railway, the electric light company, the Newton Buggy Co. and personal losses for many of the community’s wealthiest citizens.
• 1892 – Anderson Office Supply founded
• February 6, 1893 – Chamber of Commerce established
• March 4, 1893 – Midland National Bank opens (now Union State Bank)

Beginning a New Century

• 1900 – Completion of the new SF&AT Railroad Depot and the Arcade Hotel
• 1903 – Bethel Deaconess Hospital founded
• 1904 – Carnegie Library built
• 1905 – First Mexican-American family settles in Newton
• 1906-07 – Courthouse constructed
• 1907 – Harvey County Historical Society established
• 1909 – Athletic Park opens as a public park, which included a race track used for horse, motorcycle, and automobile racing; ball fields; playgrounds; and picnic shelters. A zoo with several animals and a working small-scale railroad entertained a generation of children in the 1960s. Newtonians swam in Sand Creek at Athletic Park until the public swimming pool was built in 1934.
• Aug. 4, 1914 – fire burns east side of Main between 5th and 6th Street
• January 1, 1915 – Ragsdale Opera House lost in fire
• 1914-1915 – Before and after downtown fires
• Feb. 7, 1900 – Basketball introduced to the Newton community with a game between Newton Eagles Co. D and a team of civilians. The Newton Kansan noted that “It proved a very fascinating pastime and those who took part are quite enthusiastic over the sport.”
• 1917 – Newton’s first civic club, Rotary Club, is founded
• 1921 – Regent Theatre opens on Main Street
• 1926 – First Newton Dillon and Sons Grocery opens

A Modern Era

• 1930 – Arcade building torn down and new depot built
• 1935 – Fischer Field Stadium built in Athletic Park
• 1954 – Prairie View mental health center opens
• 1955 – Fox Theatre opens in Regent Theatre space
• 1966 – New courthouse built
• 1965 – Flood
• 1968 – Newton Fine Arts Association established
• 1971 – New library built in Military Park
• 1979 – Bunting Magnetics moves its headquarters to Newton from Chicago
• 1984 – Koehn Painting founded in Newton
• 1988 – Newton Medical Center established by the merger of Axtell and Bethel Deaconess hospitals
• 1991 – AGCO establishes its Harvey County presence by acquiring Hesston Corp.
• 1995 – Santa Fe Railroad merges with Burlington Northern, forming BNSF Railway

Newton's 150th Birthday Party

A birthday party for Newton kicked off the year-long celebration of the City’s Sesquicentennial in 2022.
The public was invited to the free, come-and-go event from 4-7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Meridian Center, 1420 E. Broadway Court.

The event featured snacks, crafts for kids, the first chance to purchase Newton150 merchandise, a photo booth presented by Harvey County Historical Museum, and entertainment by local performers:

• 4:30 p.m. - Mayor's welcome
• 5 p.m. - Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra
• 5:30 p.m. - Our Lady of Guadalupe dance troupes
• 6 p.m. - Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts
• 6:30 p.m. - Newton High School jazz ensemble
• 7 p.m. - Newton High School Railaires

“Untold Stories” at Newton Public Library

Students (primarily 5-8 grade) were invited to the library to learn about local history through a weeklong, after-school series of speakers, activities and interaction with artifacts contributed by the Harvey County Historical Museum. Each session included a brief introduction to provide context for the topic, followed by a speaker with first-hand knowledge of the subject:

• Monday, April 25: Downtown Newton tour
• Tuesday, April 26: Railroad History
• Wednesday, April 27: Mexican American community, including establishment of Mexican-American Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament
• Thursday, April 28: Past, Present and Future Farming in the Newton area
• Friday, April 29: Creation Day
  Students developed a written or visual representation of something interesting they learned during the week.

Newton Historical Mural Ribbon-Cutting

4 pm Saturday, June 4
301 N. Main

Newton Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of the Newton Historical Mural, which is at the north edge of the Old Mill Plaza parking area near Railroad Park to serve as a gateway to Newton's Downtown Historic District.

Newton150 Summer Bash

4-10 pm Saturday, June 4
Downtown Newton

Thousands joined us downtown for a community block party featuring a street dance with live music from The Astronauts, food trucks, beer garden, bounce houses and other activities for kids - and a Ferris wheel on Main Street!

Newton150 Golf Tournament

1 pm Friday, Sept. 30
Sand Creek Station Golf Course

Newton150 Time Capsule Dedication

9 am Thursday, Dec. 8
Newton City Hall

Newton150 commemorative merchandise — including t-shirts, pins, stickers, train whistles, and more — is available for purchase at Newton City Hall, 201 E. 6th St., or at local retailers Anderson's Office Supply, Prairy Market & Deli, Carriage Factory Art Gallery, and Harvey County Historical Museum.