Newton Township, Buchanan County, Iowa

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Newton Township, Buchanan County
Coordinates: 42°19′51″N 091°39′14″W / 42.33083, -91.65389
Country United States
State Iowa
County Buchanan
Area
 - Total 36.33 sq mi (94.09 km²)
 - Land 36.26 sq mi (93.92 km²)
 - Water 0.06 sq mi (0.17 km²)
Elevation [1] 935 ft (285 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 423
 - Density 11.7/sq mi (4.5/km²)
FIPS code 19-93096[2]
GNIS feature ID 0468437

Newton Township is one of sixteen townships in Buchanan County, Iowa, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 423.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Newton Township covers an area of 36.33 square miles and contains no incorporated settlements. The unincorporated community of Monti is in the northern portion of the township. Other settlements in the township from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are abandoned. According to the USGS, Newton Township contains three cemeteries: Circle Grove, Saint Patrick's and Upper Spring Grove. Only Saint Patrick's of Monti is maintained.

[edit] History

The first permanent white settler in Newton Township was a Joseph Austin, who built a cabin "by a spring at the edge of some timber in the township" sometime before or during 1847. The first election was held in the southern part of the township in August of 1854. Many early settlers of the area were from Ireland.[3]

Two cemeteries were established in the 1850s, one in the northern and one in the southern part of the township. A Catholic church and rectory were constructed adjoining the northern cemetery in 1870.[3] By 1875, the State Atlas of Iowa showed two churches, seven schools, and 19 houses in the township. Newtonville had been established in 1873, when a post office was built near the center of the township,[3] at 42.347ºN 91.675ºW (Sections 16 and 17, see map on right).[4]

Newton Township in 1875. The township had seven schools and two churches.
Newton Township in 1875. The township had seven schools and two churches.
Newton Township in 1904. Newtonville is displayed prominently in the center of the township. There were two schools, a creamery, and a church in Newtonville. This church was moved three miles north in 1914. Atlantic and Monti are not labeled on this map, but are in the northern and southern portions of the township, respectively. Kiene is not shown on this map because it wasn't founded until 1911.
Newton Township in 1904. Newtonville is displayed prominently in the center of the township. There were two schools, a creamery, and a church in Newtonville. This church was moved three miles north in 1914. Atlantic and Monti are not labeled on this map, but are in the northern and southern portions of the township, respectively. Kiene is not shown on this map because it wasn't founded until 1911.

Many other small settlements eventually sprung up, including Erin, Atlantic, and Monti. None of these communities ever incorporated. Atlantic was located at 42.311ºN 91.685ºW (Sections 28 and 33), and Erin at 42.369ºN 91.600ºW (Section 1).[4] Monti was founded in 1885, on Buffalo Creek in the northern part of the township, at the location of the Catholic Church (Sections 2 and 3).[5]

With the introduction of Rural Free Delivery in 1902, both the Newtonville and Monti post offices closed. In 1911, Kiene was founded west of Monti at 42.384ºN 91.661ºW (Section 4), the result of a planned railway through the area. The Chicago, Anamosa and Northern Railway was built through the township in 1912 and passed through both Kiene and Monti. Monti soon became a small but bustling community, with stores, a blacksmith shop, a bank, and a railroad depot.[6] The old Newtonville Congregational Church was moved to Kiene in June of 1914, and a new church was built at Newtonville.[3]

However, the post-World War I years saw a decline in the area's population. The CAN railroad was sold for scrap during World War II. The Newtonville, Erin, and Atlantic areas emptied. By 1955, the only structure remaining at Kiene was the church.[5] The only settlement left in the township is Monti; traces of the old railroad grade can still be seen at the northern edge of the hamlet. The Catholic church closed in 2005.

This is a panoramic photo of the 1913 confirmation class at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Monti.
This is a panoramic photo of the 1913 confirmation class at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Monti.

[edit] Parks and recreation

There are two wildlife areas in Newton Township. The Newton Township Wildlife Area, established in 1998, is a 158-acre park located three miles southeast of Monti at the eastern edge of the township. Canoing, fishing, and hunting are permitted at the park. Frogville Access, established in 1978, is a 116-acre park between Quasqueton and Troy Mills. It lies in the southwestern corner of the township.[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ a b c d Township Histories
  4. ^ a b Topo Zone: Buchanan County, Iowa
  5. ^ a b Articles from 100th Anniversary Edition Independence Conservative; Centennial year 1855-1955
  6. ^ Descendants of John W McNamara
  7. ^ Buchanan County Conservation Report, 2004-2005 Last accessed 2008-01-26.

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Buchanan County, Iowa
County seat: Independence
Cities
Map of Iowa highlighting Buchanan County
Townships
Communities
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