WELCOME to Kemp

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Kemp is a mix of its older Main Street area, which has undergone a revitalization project summer 2022, and more modern facilities along State Highway 274. Kemp is located at the northern end of Cedar Creek Lake, about 50 miles away from Dallas. In the spring, the city boasts beautiful bluebonnets that bring in fields of visitors hoping to get the perfect family photo. In April, the residents of Kemp come together to celebrate the Wildflower Festival, which hosts live entertainment, vendors and plenty of old-fashioned fun. Homecoming happens every four years in Kemp, when those who’ve gone through Kemp schools come back together to remember their beloved hometown.

Kemp (2020 population 1,129) was named for Malvina Kemp Watkins, wife of John Marr Watkins, the first postmaster, and was officially established when the post office opened in 1851. Kemp has an expansive city park that is the site of community events and other gatherings, along with the nearby site of the Kemp Calaboose, the old city jail that once housed Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde fame. The city park’s fountain, which was a Great Depression work project, has been revitalized to its former glory.

Kemp’s history took off after the Civil War, when an increasing number of settlers moved to the community. In 1870, Dr. A. J. Still, hoping to profit from this growth and the possible construction of a railroad through the area, bought land just north of the community and, after surveying, dividing the tract into lots, platted it and persuaded the directors of the railroad to lay tracks across his property by offering the company several lots. Another early settler, Sam Parmalee, followed suit and offered the rail company right-ofway through his property. The mid-1880s witnessed the completion of the rail line through the community, the construction of a depot there and the designation of Kemp as a terminus on the line. The railroad contributed much to Kemp’s history but was taken up in the late 20th century, as the busy U.S. Highway 175 was expanded to provide a link to the area with the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The town includes an up-to-date Kemp High School and its adjacent Yellowjacket Stadium, which received new artificial football field turf and a track resurfacing in summer 2022. Nearby, Beacon Hill at Cedar Creek Lake offers waterfront homes in its master-planned community. Your banking needs can be served at the modern offices of Harmony Bank of Kemp. A new CEFCO gas station and convenience store will start serving customers in the fall.

Kemp also has a Spring Market for hometown grocery shopping along with several salons, shops along downtown’s Main Street, a bakery and a flower shop, as well as a variety of fast-food and sit-down restaurants. Kemp has two senior care facilities offering services and jobs to the community, along with a longtime local dentist, Dr. Thomas Anderson.

Kemp always has something blooming for those that want to stop by and visit the historic small town. Learn more about living in Kemp by visiting the website, www.cityofkemp.org or calling Kemp City Hall at 903-498-3191. City Hall is located at 304 North Main St., Kemp, TX, 75143.