That’s a wrap: Adding a sense of history downtown

If anyone ever wonders what downtown Newton looked like several decades ago, all they’d have to do is find the nearest electrical utility box on First Avenue.

Two of seven utility boxes have been installed with ornamental wrappings depicting black-and-white photographs of Newton. The buildings in these landscape snapshots ought to look both familiar and different to passersby, who will no doubt be drawn to the updated appearance over the dull outer coverings.

That is what Erin Yeager is hoping for, at least.

“I think they’re eye-catching now,” Yeager said. “They are not that silver, metal box on the corner anymore. Now you get to look at it and envision how Newton was.”

The executive director of Newton Main Street saw the utility box wrappings for the first time on Thursday. These new covers — located on the southern portions of First Avenue, from West Fourth Street to East Fourth Street — were installed by Matt Michener, owner of Sign Pro.

As Michener added the finishing touches to the two boxes, the finished products already were grabbing the attention of passing citizens.

"(Michener) told me a gentleman stopped and said, regarding the box, 'I remember that picture!'" Yeager recalled. "So it's kind of bringing back some memories for some older people, too."

Yeager expects the installation of the remaining five utility box wrappings to be completed by the end of the month, weather permitting.

Proceeds from Newton Main Street’s Farm to Table event in November 2019, as well as donations from others in the community, fully funded this downtown beautification project. Yeager said each wrap showcases photos from the Jasper County Historical Museum that are significant to the area the utility box is in.

“Our design committee through Main Street had talked about this prior to me coming on board and then brought it up to me again that they would really like to do this project,” she said. “We’re continuing to beautify our district and getting our history out there with the different photos at the different locations.”

When the utility wraps are installed, Newton Main Street may organize an event, such as a walk, to further highlight the project. Yeager credited board members Ken Barthelman, Larry Hurto and Rita Reinheimer for playing key roles in selecting the correct photos to be used for each box.

“There’s a lot of history on those boxes,” Yeager said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com