Mary Estelle Carnes was born in Parker County, Texas, on July 19, 1927, the daughter of Everett and Lottie (Howell) Carnes. She graduated from Weatherford High School in 1944, and married V. E. Kemp, Jr., in March 1945. Mrs. Kemp worked for the superintendent of Weatherford Public Schools for eighteen years. Her husband and Tex Jones formed the Texas Butane Co. in Weatherford in April 1958. By 1964, the Kemps owned Texas Butane in its entirety and Mrs. Kemp worked for the company full time. Texas Butane Co. continues to be operated by members of the Kemp family. Mary Kemp has long had a passion for Parker County history, perhaps stemming from the fact that both the Kemp and Carnes family histories in Parker County date to 1860. She is a respected Parker County historian, author of several books on Parker County historical topics, founder of the Abandoned Cemetery Association, member of the Parker County Historical Commission, and organizer and hostess of the Shaw-Kemp Open House.
Photographs, scrapbook pages, clippings and printed materials on the history of Weatherford and Parker County, Texas.
Open for research.
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.
Purchased from Mary E. Kemp, via Brenda S. McClurkin,
Purchase,
Accessioned as number 2011-65.
Mary E. Kemp Parker County, Texas, History Collection, Unprocessed mss. 2011-65, Box Number, Folder Number, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library.
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