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.

The county has five municipalities. The largest of these is Covington, the county seat. The others are Mansfield, Newborn, Oxford, and Porterdale. Covington was named in honor of General Leonard Covington.

The Newton County Courthouse was built in 1884.

Emory At Oxford, a branch of Emory University, is located just north of Covington. It is the original campus of the university, chartered in 1836. In 1919, part of the college, known as Oxford College, moved to the Atlanta campus and became Emory University.

Gold mining was important in the county during the late nineteenth century. However, there are no active mines today.

The television show "In the Heat of the Night" was filmed in Covington. The Newton County library was used as the city hall.

Orna Villa, an elegant home in Oxford, is believed to be haunted by the spirit of Dr. Alexander Means who bought the house in the 1830s. Others believe it is the ghost of his son Tobe who makes the strange sounds and footsteps that are often heard.