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History
in a Pecan Shell
Kemp comes from the middle name of the wife of the town's first postmistress.
Her full name was Malvina Kemp Watkins, and John Marr Watkins was
her husband.
The post office dates from 1851. Growth was slow until after the Civil
War when an influx of settlers from other Southern states arrived.
Resident Dr. A. J. Still got wind of the approaching railroad and
in 1870 bought land which he subdivided into lots. He managed to lure
the railroad to lay tracks across his property, as did another settler
(Sam Parmalee). The railroad did arrive in the mid 1880s and it built
a depot. Kemp was the terminus of the railroad.
The town prospered by shipping cotton
and cattle from their
depot. Methodist and Baptist churches were built and the new century
(the 20th) was met with a healthy population of just over 500 residents.
By the mid 1920s the population swelled to 1,200 people and Kemp had
60 businesses. These fell to 46 by the mid-1930s and the population
declined in the 50s and early 60s to 816.
Cedar Creek Reservoir was constructed in the mid 1960s which bolstered
the economy somewhat. The population rebounded to new heights (1,184
for the 1990 census). Many residents of Kemp are employed in Dallas. |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history
and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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