Newton County /

Newton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 8,608. The county seat is Jasper. Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, formed on December 14, 1842, and named for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county. Newton County part of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area. "Newton County was formed in 1842 and named for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman. The Choctaw Indians once lived in the hill country. The landscapes of Newton County are the rugged and mountainous Ozark Mountains. The Ozark National Forest provides wilderness hiking, backpacking, camping, and hunting. The Buffalo National River, the nation's first federally protected river, is one of the last free-flowing streams in mid-America and offers clear blue water for fishing and canoeing along the towering limestone bluffs. The county seat is Jasper where the county courthouse is located. As of the 2000 census, Newton County had a population of 8,608 residents." Newton County residents were very divided during the Civil War, serving in both the Confederate and Union armies. John Cecil, who had earlier served as Newton