Collections : [West Virginia and Regional History Center]

Kemp was a consulting engineer and industrial archaeologist for the restoration of the tide lock and basin to help with a revitalization project for Alexandria, Virginia. The box includes the Preliminary Archaeological Survey Report, field notes, pamphlets, photos, correspondence, clippings, and a consulting agreement. Additionally, it includes pamphlets on the history of the City of Alexandria. The box includes facsimile correspondence with the United States Department of Commerce regarding the Geodetic Survey maps and charts, facsimile newspapers, reports and reference lists regarding those facsimiles. Finally, the box includes original slides that show engineering drawings of the canal. The following oversize materials were moved to Map Cabinet 12, Drawer 4, Folder 8: 18 sheets of facsimile and original newspapers (1831-1845, 1976-1985, and undated), 10 maps (1838, 1877-1884, 1949-1973 and undated), 1 illustration (undated).

Kemp collected these materials to use as reference when writing about bridges. Includes numerous facsimile book excerpts and facsimile journal articles, as well as original reports, bound copies of the United States Congressional Series Set, newsletters and correspondence. Subjects include rooves, iron structures, developments in civil engineering according to the American Society for Civil Engineering, bridges in the Upper United States South, and bridges over the Ohio River.

Kemp was the preservation engineer for the West Virginia Division of Highways' project to restore the Barrackville Covered Bridge in Barrackville, West Virginia. Paul D. Marshall & Associates, Inc. collaborated on the restoration of the 1853 Burr covered bridge. Includes papers, reports, engineering drawings, correspondence, contracts, maps, lists of construction crews, etc. Subjects include covered bridges of West Virginia, the agreement regarding restoration, restoration of covered bridges in general, arch truss bridges, bridge designers Lemuel and Eli Chenoweth, Buffalo Creek (which the Barrackville Covered Bridge spans), and William and Dolly Ice, who owned a mill near the bridge. Highlights include the final report about the Barrackville Covered Bridge. The following oversized materials were moved to Box 342: one facsimile map (undated), one facsimile engineering drawing (undated), and seven sheets of facsimile contracts (1853).

Kemp researched bridges across the United States as part of his restoration efforts and publications. The box includes facsimiles of the following: photographic prints, drawings, patent applications, and book excerpts. Also includes original photographs, slides, clippings and correspondence. Subjects include general bridges; covered bridges; mills; the patenting process for bridge technologies during the 1800s; Rideu Canal in Ottawa, Canada; St. Antonius de Padua Mission in Sacramento, California; Bridgeport Covered Bridge in Bridgeport, California; and buildings in Nevada City, California. The following oversized items were moved to Box 342: one clipping (1983), two engineering drawings (undated), and two sheets of facsimile book excerpts (undated).

Kemp conducted research on bridge patents. He may have been preparing for writing articles and books about bridge patents, including American Bridge Patents: The First Century (1790-1890). It includes correspondence, reports, floppy disks and facsimiles of the following: book excerpts, clippings, engineering drawings, and patent applications. Subjects include bridges, the patenting process, covered bridges, Burr truss bridges, bridge engineers and engineering developments. Correspondents include Richard Sanders Allen. The following oversized items were moved to Box 343: three sheets of a scholarly article (1857) and two sheets of engineering drawings (1857).

Kemp maintained research files about bridges and assisted in planning the historical marker about the Brownsville Cast Iron Arch Bridge (also called the Dunlap's Creek Bridge) in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. The box includes correspondence, photographic prints, photographic slides, scholarly journal articles, reports, student papers, event programs and newsletters. The box also includes the following facsimiles: correspondence, reports, photographs, journal articles, book excerpts, clippings and engineering drawings. Subjects include the Brownsville Cast Iron Arch Bridge, bridges of Europe and North America, engineering, railroad bridges, the history of bridge architecture in the United States and bridge construction. The following oversize items were moved to Map Cabinet 12, Drawer 11, Folder 4: one map (1987), ten sheets of clippings (1883-1885 and undated), and three engineering drawings (1987 and undated).

Kemp maintained research files on bridges in North America and Europe. The box includes reports, handwritten notes, clippings, correspondence, brochures, event programs, journal articles, and newsletters. The box also includes the following facsimile items: book excerpts, clippings, correspondence, journal articles and engineering drawings. Subjects include iron arch bridges; railroad bridges; French bridges; truss bridges; bridges in Quebec, Canada; bridges in Wisconsin, Washington, Iowa, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Hawaii in the United States; bridge disasters; girders; and dams. The following oversize items were moved to Map Cabinet 12, Drawer 11, Folder 3: 15 sheets of clippings (1979-1983), 2 brochures (undated), 22 sheets of facsimile engineering drawings (1858-1983).

Kemp researched Ohio canal commissioners for his publications and restoration projects. Contains facsimile index sheets, maps, government reports and court hearings. Subjects include canals, Ohio canals, Ohio public works, the Miami Conservancy District, etc. Organizations include the Board of Canal Commissioners for the Ohio Canal and the Board of Public Works of Ohio.

Kemp conducted research on canals. The box includes pamphlets, a postcard, a ticket, lecture notices, and bound copies of the United States Congressional Series Set. Subjects include canals, boats, dams, rivers, lock tender houses, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Canada and West Virginia. The following oversize items have been moved to Map Cabinet 12, Drawer 4, Folder 3: Fifty-four pamphlets (1971-1999 and undated), one map (undated), three newspapers (1975-1982).