Newton's town building had a former life as elementary school

By Stephanie Hebert

September 28, 2007 | NEWTON -- A building of many uses, the Newton Town Building -- which now houses the library, court, fire department and EMS -- was once the town school.

Newton was founded in 1869 and there were four school buildings built during the years that the school was operational, said Cleo S. Griffin, town librarian and also a parent of children who went to school in Newton. The first school was built in 1871 out of logs, the second was built out of rock, and the third was built out of brick. When the third school burnt down the town built the current building, which was built in 1924 and used as a school for Newton and Cache Junction until 1968, said Griffin.

The school had grades first through sixth, Griffin said. Her children attended the school before it closed and said they received a "good education."

When it came time to close the school, parents in Newton voted to keep the school open, said Griffin, but the "school board did what they wanted," and closed the school in 1968.

After the school board closed the school the kids were moved to the elementary school in Lewiston, Ruby Woodward, another resident of Newton who remembers the school, said. Woodward said her grand-daughter who attends school in Lewiston gets on the bus at 7:45 a.m. and often doesn't get home until 4:30 p.m. because of the long bus ride.

After the board closed the school they sold the building to Newton town for $7, to use as a town building, Griffin said.

The building had to be modified to work as the town building. The gym is now the library, and the fire truck and first responder truck bays had to be cut out, but it pretty much looks the same, Griffin said.

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