09/07/2026
Today's feature is on the Newton County Quilt Trail which is sponsored by Deer Country Store and Red Oak Station - Jasper. #14-14, Back the Blue in AR is at 601 W. Clark St. Jasper AR. It was chosen to honor local law enforcement officers who put their life on the line each and every day for the citizens of Newton County. In a “Walks through History” tour presented by Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Rachel Silva shared the following: Newton County was created in 1842 from part of Carroll County. By the early 1840s, Jasper was established as a trading post along the Little Buffalo River, then known as Hudson’s Fork of the Buffalo River. Jasper became the Newton County seat in 1843. The origin of the town’s name is uncertain, but one popular story says that postmaster John M. Ross picked the name after comparing a local rock formation to jasper, one of twelve precious stones referred to in the Book of Revelation. Jasper became a boomtown in the late nineteenth century as a result of the timber industry. Sawmills processed the area’s plentiful oak and cedar trees (used to make stave bolts for barrels as well as pencils) and employed hundreds of men. The Jasper Commercial Historic District is anchored by the WPA-built Newton County Courthouse and features several distinctive rough-cut stone buildings. Because of its location near the Buffalo National River, Jasper’s economy relies heavily on tourism. Outdoor enthusiasts and elk watchers visit the town each year. Interesting facts—Arkansas contributed a stone for the Washington Monument, and it came from near present-day Marble Falls in Newton County. Newton County’s population in 1900 was about 12,500, but it is currently only 8,500. Newton County has never had a mile of railroad track constructed through it, and there are no stoplights in the county either.
Find the locations of 24 barn quilt trails with over 700 painted blocks along with the story behind each at ArkansasQuiltTrails.com.
