In 1937, the Southwestern Settlement and Development Company deeded land to Newton County, and the property became known as Woods Park, named for the company's surveyor, C.A. Woods. County residents used the park for recreation, and the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program administered by the federal government, soon improved it through a building project. Between 1939 and 1969, Newton High School used the park intermittently as an athletic field. Since 1980, the park has hosted the Newton County Fair and is now known as the Newton County Fair Grounds.