|
Send Comments, questions, typos:
| |
|
           |
|
|
Newton & Abbott |
|
|
Little is known about the history of the town.
What is known is that it was a ranching and farming community. At
one time, it did have several stores and hotels.
Two brothers with the last name of Newton
organized the schools. The schools were set up to educate students
in the Abbott area. The school had three different locations.
The drought in the 1930's forced many people to leave the area.
The school remained open from 1943-1956, serving grades 1-6. In
the fall of 1956, the school closed, and students began attending Farley
schools. Today, only a couple of houses remain in the area.
|
|
The reason you won't find Newton on the map is it was never a post office
there, we got our mail from Abbott Post Office. If you
have a copy of Schools in Colfax County by Bill
Litrell you will find it to be real interesting and
informational. Another great book is
Ghost Town Basketball by Steve Flores, where we got some of our
the information .
Jess Jordan graduated High School in 1934 at Newton School. The
school was located one mile west and one and one half miles south of
the intersection of Highways 39 and the Clayton -Springer
highway. The old schoolhouse is now located on the north side of
the highway at Abbott.
At one time Abbott School had an enrollment of 81 and a faculty of
six . Newton sent two teams to state competition, one in 1928 and one in
1933.
-
Cheryl Scott's
brother borrowed these
trophies from Landon Newton
who lives in Albuq. and brought them to Roy this weekend to show
them to her dad, Travis Wood. Landon's grandfather, Oliver Newton,
acquired them when
he went to move the Newton School building to where it now sits (at
the Abbott intersection). The trophies were still in the building.
-
-
|
 |
I did attend the Newton School after it
was moved to the present location. I knew it was called Newton
School although I always thought of it as the Abbott School. I
believe it was always a part of Colfax County.
I took some notes during past family
conversations about the Newton School that might be interesting
to someone. The first Newton school was on the homestead land of
Samuel Newton. The Newton families of two brothers, Samuel and
John Erwin "J.E." were located on
the east side of highway 39 south of the Abbott intersection.
The building served as a small community school and church.
"Erwin was my grandfather According to
family history J.E. pulled the original school house by tractor
over to the sight near old Abbott.
All of my Aunts and Uncles graduated from
Newton
School including my mother Inez Newton.
Lura Shaw Rotruck"
In 1924 Newton School consolidated with
Chateau Hill School (across the road from Richard Shaw's home)
and Woodrow Wilson School (1 mile west and 1/2 mile north of the
Abbott intersection.) Some of the buildings from Woodrow Wilson and Newton Schools
were moved to 40 acres of land donated by James C. Tarpley for
purposes of building a school. A rock or cinder block building
was built for an auditorium.
Part of the Tarpley homestead (east and
south of Abbott intersection,) the deed stipulated if the land
was no longer needed for a school, it would revert back to the
Tarpley family. I heard that the Tarpley family now has that
deed.
The school served grades one through
twelve with four teachers and a principal. At one time, around
80 students were enrolled served by four school bus routes. The
families owned their own buses and at age 18, students could
drive a bus and attend school. Three driver/students were
Travis Wood, Clem Tarpley, and
Albert Brown.
When the post office was moved from Old
Abbott up to the community formed at the intersection of the two
highways, it was decided to move the school. Part of the
original buildings were moved again. The school was closed in
the 50s and the students went to Springer or Farley.
All of these homestead deeds can be read
on
It is very interesting to read the land
grants for Mills.
|
|
|
|
|
|
