Editing Newellton, Louisiana (section)

==History==
Newellton itself was founded in the early 19th century by the Routh family, for whom the defunct Routhwood Elementary School was named. John David Stokes Newell Sr., a [[Planter (American South)|planter]] and lawyer in St. Joseph, the seat of Tensas Parish, named the settlement for his father, Edward D. Newell, a native of [[North Carolina]] who relocated to Tensas Parish in 1834.<ref name=newell>"John ... and Edward Newell", [[Louisiana Historical Association]], ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'', Vol. 2 (1988), p. 600</ref>

Newellton was designated a [[village]] in 1904. On April 4, 1951, under Mayor T. T. Hargrove, Newellton was upgraded to a town through the state [[Lawrason Act]].<ref name=mayors>{{cite web|url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/tensas/court/elec0001.txt|title=Public elected officials: Tensas Parish|publisher=files.usgwarchives.net|access-date=July 22, 2013}}</ref>

In March 2014, Newellton became debt-free.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20140315/NEWS01/303160024/Newellton-pays-off-all-town-s-debt|title=Cole Avery, Newellton pays off all of town's debt, March 15, 2014|newspaper=[[The News-Star|Monroe News-Star]]|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref>