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Dr. Turk began the first drugstore in the town, which was taken over shortly afterward by G. J. Stewart in the Rauh Building. In 1921 Stewart sold out to Sam Carnahan, present druggist, who came over from East Liverpool.[1]
Fred Owens, who moved to Newell in 1906, was the town's first Justice of the Peace and Sam Rardin and his brother were among the early teamsters who dug most of the cellars for the new homes. A blacksmith shop was operated on Grant St. between 1st and 2nd Sts. by Murray Shilling.
Dr. V. E. McDldowney began his practice in Newell in 1924and Dr. J. E. Hall has been practicing in the Newell area for many years. Other physicians who served in Newell at times included Dr. M. B Herford in the 1920s, Dr. Guilford in the 1930s, and Dr. Frank Ikert in the 1940s.
The Methodist Church was built in 1912, and the Church of the Nazarene and the Church of Christ were constructed about eight years later. The Church of the Nazarene now holds services in a new brick structure completed this year.
Besides the giant Laughlin firm, other companies - large and small - were included in the growing industrial and business pattern of the community. the Kenilworth Tile co. was added and the Dawson Cooper Shop was built east of the new pottery site to provide casks and barrels for the shipping of dinnerware. The Lake Newell Floral Co. was launched beside the artificial lake in Laurel Hollow Park which was developed as a recreation area for picnicking, movies, and a zoo which was to attract hundreds of visitiors for many years.
 Laurel Hollow first was launched as a picnic site and park in 1905 with the completion of the bridge and streetcar lines. Construction of the benches, table and swings drew crowds of Ohio residents and as early as July 1905 an orchestra was playing at the site.
The area was landscaped, various parts cleared out by blasting and a dam built in 1906 for the artificial lake. The park boasted the first open air theater at which some older residents can recall seeing "motion pictures" as early as 1907. Mrs. Abe Edwards [2] played piano for the movies and other stage shows.
Later the free movies featured "over 5,000 feet of new and late film," with the bill changed three times a week. There were ponies and burros for children to ride, a fountain and pond with ducks and swans, peacocks, deer, and the lovely lake which froze over in the winter thick enough for ice skating.
The chief amusements were the monkeys, bears and seals, along with the other zoo animals. In 1909 on bear killed another in the park, and a barking seal was sent to the Highland Park Zoo at Pittsburgh after causing trouble.
The monkeys also drew great attention. In 1910, one named "Polly" had a tug of war with a woman over a handbag and the woman had to locate a keeper in order to get her bag back. Some of the animals, such as monkeys and seals, were shipped to the Pittsburgh zoo during the winter. In 1913, George Clark, Laughlin sales official and supervisor for the zoo, died, and the park charter was dissolved shortly afterward.
 World War I marked the end of the Kenilworth Country Club, started in 1905. The clubhouse, tennis courts and golf links near Laurel Park were the center or social life of the town.[3]
The park and golf course became the site of the new high school and homes, and the north end was filled to provide the roadway for Washington St. and route 66.The Newell Athletic Association formed a football team which competed in the district before 1910 and through the early Teens, and from 1912 through 1915 the Newell Band - 23 members who wore bowlers and caps - marched and played in district parades.
Some memorable excitement of the times was the blasting of the North American firm's safe at the Aaron building in May 1910 when four yeggs made off with about $200 in cash and about $2,000 in postal stamps stored in the safe by the post office authorities. The blast blew out windows. Neighborhood residents, including Dr. Turk, fired at the masked quartet.[4]
1 Carnahan operated the drugstore until it was sold to Harry Comm of Chester. It was eventually moved from the Rauh building to 610 Washington Street. Many will remember this
as "Herche Drug Store" and later "Newell Rx" between Valu King and the Park Drive In.
2 Her husband was one of the organizers of the first volunteer fire department in Newell.
3 One advertisement on the Kenilworth Country Club from December 1917 describes it as, "4 holes, 1,859 yards. No charge for visitors. G. W. Durkee, Sec'y."
4 An article on this event ran in the Marion Daily Mirror on May 5, 1910:
DID JOB IN WESTERN STYLE: Five Posses Now on Trail of Quartet of Bandits. Five posses with bloodhounds are today on the trail of four desperadoes who early this morning terrorized Newell, West Virginia, across the Ohio river and located the safe of the North American manufacturing company in real "Wild West' fashion.
The bandit quartette rode into Newell a new town of about 3,000 population and dismounted in front of the plant of the North American Manufacturing company a holding company for public utilities. Two of the bandits stood guard over the horses while the remaining pair climbed poles and cut the main current feeding the arc lamps throughout the city.
Two of the robbers jimmied the door of the North American offices and drilled the safe, igniting the explosive with wires from the incandescent light connections, which had been left intact purposely. The first explosives failed to open the safe but awakened many citizens. The second blast wrecked the safe and the interior of the office.
With $300 in cash the robbers rushed into the street, joined their companions and rode away, firing more than fifty shots, the bullets penetrating houses and thoroughly terrorizing the inhabitants. Dr. Harry A. Turk fired at the robbers from a window, but it is believed none were hit.
Bloodhounds this morning followed the robber's trail though Chester, West Virginia thence across the river to Pennsylvania. Residents of Newell, however, claim that the robbers escaped on the backs of two horses and went down the river in the direction of New Cumberland, West Virginia.
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