 Jasper attached the flag to a pole and stood on the wall waving the flag at the British until a new staff was erected.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Newton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954.