The village was platted in 1885 by Harriet H. Briggs. It was at first called New Port and for a couple of years, Jamisonville. It was located at the intersection of today's Highways 61 and 78.

For a time, it was an important livestock shipping point. The railroad was the Iowa Central. There were four daily passenger trains except on Sundays. Mail was delivered on the first three routes. The Iowa Central later became the M &S L. Tom and Sam Baird bought livestock and shipped carloads each week on the afternoon freight called the local. Its destination included the Illinois towns of Keithsburg, Peoria and Chicago.

There was a broom factory and a brick and tile factory on the east side of the highway. T. A. Dotson owned the brick and tile factory in the 1890s.

In the 1900s, Newport was comprised of a depot, stockyards, busy grain elevator, two stores (one made of brick), a blacksmith shop, post office, and 13 houses. The Newport Store was a one-story brick building on the west side of the highway. It had a large cast iron stove in the middle of the room. The northeast corner of the store was partitioned off for the post office. On the southeast was a screened-in room where cream and eggs were stored. On the south were grocery items and on the north was clothing. Maude and Charles Humphrey were the storekeepers at one time. Maude was also the post mistress and depot agent. Other storekeepers were John W. Jamison (1885-11909), D. D. Brodie, and Ike Vaughn. The depot was located west of the store. Doc Upton was also a depot agent.

A school house was built in 1902. The first students were Lee Harry, Bird and Iva Dotson, Benjamin Swartz, Elsie, Maudie and George Walker, Ina Strickler, Johnny Seitz, Ita Robb, Dorothy Baird, and Walter and Lois Dotson. The teacher was Bertha Hartmann of Wapello. The school closed when the district was consolidated with Wapello.

On the east side of the road was a service station and store, ice house and blacksmith shop owned by James Deam. In 1902, a school house was built about one-half mile south of the intersection. The first students were Lee, Harry, Bird and Iva Dotson, Ina Strickler, Benjamin Schwartz, Elsie, Maude and George Walker, Johnny Seitz, Ita Robb, Dorothy Baird and Walter and Lois Dotson. The teacher was Bertha Hartmann of Wapello.

About one mile north of Newport stood the Jamison mansion. It was built by George Jamison in 1858. Jamison first came to Louisa County from Ohio in 1838 and first settled on the bluff (still known as Jamison Hill) about three miles north of the future town of Newport. In 1840, he married Hulda Herrick. The Jamisons had four sons, John W., Jacob H., Merit L., and Oregon Brigham. The family lived in a small dwelling about a mile south of George's original home for nearly 18 years. The brick mansion contained eight rooms downstairs and seven rooms and a bath upstairs. There were three fireplaces and a walnut staircase to the cupola.

In 1900, George sold the mansion to his son O. Brigham, who in turn sold it to his son Frank in 1911. Frank sold the farm to Sam and Tom Baird in 1912.

George Jamison, Mark Davison and other men from the community built a log church about 1840 at a cost of about $100. In 1855, it was replaced with a stone building built by Merit Jamison. It became known as Bethel Methodist Church.

Today there is a large convenience store/truck stop at the intersection of Highways 61 and 78 called Newport Corners.