After the turn of the century, businesses flourished on Main Street in Waldron. In 1901 the Bank of Waldron and First National Bank both opened on South Main Street. By 1902 the Kansas City Southern Railroad went through Waldron, making it an important shipping location in Western Arkansas. In 1908 the Scott County Jail and Scott County Poor Farm were completed under the commission of Judge W.A. Bates. Growth slowed in the next decade, but new businesses still appeared on Main Street, including the City Garage, which sold Ford automobiles and opened directly west of the courthouse in 1916. During the 1920s the stock market crash left many farmers in the area in financial hardship, and B.S. Hinkle helped improve conditions through efforts such as rural electrification lines. In the 1930s the New Deal brought the WPA to Scott County to provide jobs, Main Street was paved for the first time between West First and East Fifth streets, the Pines Theatre opened on South Main Street in 1931, and a new courthouse was completed in 1935 with help from the WPA. That courthouse still stands and is a prime example of Art Deco architecture. Through the 1940s and 50s, Waldron changed from a commercial center into an industrial town, shifting focus away from the Main Street area.