About Newton County:

Newton County

Newton County was created in 1821 from parts of Henry, Jasper and Walton counties. Georgia's 53rd county is named for Revolutionary War hero, John Newton. Covington has been known as the Hollywood of the South due to the number of movies and television shows filmed there. In the Heat of the Night , a long running television show, spent its eight years in Covington while filming. The Dukes of Hazards was another prime time show that began its television series in the county.

For more information, please see the Newton County profile on Georgia.gov.

City of Covington

Covington, the county seat of Newton County, was originally known as Newtonsborough. Its name was later changed to Covington to honor General Covington who was made famous for his actions at Fort Recovery. The city was incorporated in 1854. Nicknamed the "City of Beautiful Homes", Covington offers tours of the historic homes located in the area. The city tour includes homes dating back to the pre-Civil War era.

Town of Oxford

The town, named Oxford in honor of John and Charles Wesley's alma mater in England, was chartered in 1839. The town was designed by Edward Lloyd Thomas, a Methodist minister and surveyor. Its 125 lots were offered on a 999 year lease with the provision that 'no intoxicating liquors shall be sold nor any game of hazard be allowed on the lots under penalty of forfeiture.' These lots were later sold for private ownership. The original streets were all named for notable Methodists. More than twenty 19th century buildings and sites related to Methodism are still standing and can be seen on the city tour.