The Newton County Courthouse is located on Clark Street at the square in Covington, GA.
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This courthouse was completed in 1884 directly north of the site of an earlier structure on the square in the center of Covington, Georgia. Newton County was taken from Henry, Jasper and Walton Counties in 1821 by an act of the Georgia legislature.
Newton County was named in honor of John Newton, whose heroic deeds included the freeing of captured American sailors who were being transported to Savannah for trial. He was captured after the surrender of Savannah and died in a prison camp established by the British.
Covington is named for Leonard Covington, who rose through the ranks to brigadier general. Covington, under the command of James Wilkerson, began moving up the St. Lawrence River towards Montreal when he unexpectedly came on two crack English regiments under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Morrison. Although the Americans outnumbered the British 5 to 2, they were soundly defeated because of Wilkerson's tactics. The engagement is known today as the Battle of Crysler's Farm, although the entry for Covington in the Senate guide lists the battle as Chrysler's Field.
The Georgia Historical marker for the county is across the street in the square, as is a monument honoring the Confederate dead.
One of the best-known of all Georgia county courthouses, the building was repeatedly featured in the television show, In The Heat of the Night. The series was filmed locally and settings within the city of Covington served as places for the fictional Georgia town of Sparta, where the series took place.
Location: Downtown Covington, Georgia
Directions: Take I-20 east from Atlanta to exit 90, Turner Hill Rd./SR 12/U. S. 278. Follow Turner Hill Road south to Clark Street, turn right and the courthouse will be on the left.
Additional information:
Web site: Newton County
Newton County, Georgia
Date added: August 28, 2005
Last update: August 28, 2005
Newton County Historic Marker
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This County, created by Act of the Legislature Dec. 24, 1821, is named for Sergeant John Newton, Revolutionary soldier & companion of Sergeant Jasper for whom Jasper County is named. The County Site is named for Gen. Covington. G.C. Adams, County School Commissioner, in 1893 inaugurated the first free transportation for public school pupils in the nation. He later founded the first 4-H Club. Nearby is located the famous Methodist College, Emory at Oxford, charter in 1836, named for Bishop John Emory and now a part of Emory University.
GHM 107-1 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1954
Clock Tower:
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This is a Seth Thomas #16G Time and Strike tower clock that was installed in the Newton County GA (City of Covington) courthouse in 1885. The serial number on the clock is #361. The clock has served faithfully since that time.
Newton County raised the funds in 2003 to completely restore the historic courthouse to it's original glory, and that included having the clock mechanism restored as well. It is now a gorgeous machine that is a type of kinetic art.
I have helped out with the clock over the last several years with some major maintenance, stoppages etc, but as of this last month, I'm now the regular caretaker.
Due to the cables and the stress of the timbers of the 125 yrs old building, the clock's striking mechanism is still electric, but the time is mechanical, with some modern day technology. The clock is ran on about 60lbs of weight running on the second gear. The clock rewinds itself every 10 minutes using and small gear motor and endless chain type system.
The clock of course is mechanical so it does have the occasional "I don't want to run issues", but that is usually due to lack of maintenance. This last month it was losing more and more time then it kept stopping. The oil evaporates pretty quickly in 95+ temperatures..... I have oiled and greased all the proper areas and she is running beautifully again.
Hope you enjoy the video, and just so you will know what courthouse......."Dukes of Hazzard"," In the Heat of the Night" TV series and several movies have been filmed in our wonderful county and the courthouse was one of the main stars.