Newport, Washington - City and Town Halls on Waymarking.com

This is what most would readily call a handsome building, with its decorative brickwork, stepped front parapet and domed bell tower. At the front is a covered entrance with a pair of brick columns supporting the portico style roof. We noticed a brick or two that had fallen out, but in general the building is still in pretty good shape, considering its 102 years of hard use.

We noticed, too, that the bell tower serves double duty, containing not only a bell, but, below it, a warning siren. It's a good sized siren, doubtless audible throughout town and beyond. The bell has a rope trailing down from it, a sure sign that it is in working condition, though whether or not it's actually rung we have no idea.

Given the building's striking similarity to the Bobier Building, one block south and built one year earlier of identical materials, we will venture a guess that this building was, as was the Bobier Building, designed by F. E. Lehmkuhl, a local architect and general contractor.

Taking note of the age of the building and its ongoing importance to the community, the city hall has been declared a Pend Oreille County Historic Site.

Below is a bit of the history of Newport and its neighbour, Oldtown, Idaho, the original centre of activity in the area, and the town from which Newport stole the post office.

About Newport, Washington

Newport, Washington became the Pend Oreille County seat in 1911. The county is situated in the northeastern corner of Washington and was originally part of Stevens County. Newport is the largest city in Pend Oreille County and is nestled along the Pend Oreille River at the Washington-Idaho border approximately 40 miles north-east of Spokane.

Around the late 1880s and early 1890s a small community began to emerge east of the present city of Newport. By 1892 this settlement was known as Newport, Idaho (later Oldtown). Its namesake denoted its purpose—a port for river and overland travel. Supplies from this port to the settlers in the Pend Oreille Valley were transported from Newport, Rathdrum and Sandpoint, Idaho. The “new port” of Idaho had a restaurant, general store with a post office, small hotel and a saloon.

In 1892 the Great Northern Railroad ran a line to Newport and further growth in the area occurred.

In 1895 the Talmadge brothers, Charles and Warren, acquired 40 acres of land and formed the "Newport, Washington Land Company" and platted the townsite of Newport, Washington. From its early inception, a controversy began over the location of the post office, then located in Newport, Idaho. By 1901 the town of Newport, Washington had a population of over 200. Because the majority of the population was on the Washington side, the United States Postmaster General issued an order requiring the post office to be moved from the Idaho to the Washington side of Newport. This action officially eliminated the town of Newport, Idaho, and established the town of Newport, Washington. Newport, Idaho remained on the maps as an unincorporated village until April 1947, when the town was incorporated and the name Oldtown was officially adopted.
From the City of Newport