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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 a set of facsimile files on historic suspension bridges to conduct further research. This box includes postcards, reports, essays, books, slides, photographs, correspondence, journal articles, brochures, and research notes. It also includes facsimiles of the following: book excerpts, correspondence, maps, bound copies of the United States Congressional Series Set and court records, patents, journal articles, logs, clippings, ephemera and reports. Subjects include James Finley, Timothy Palmer, John Templeman, and civil engineering in the United States. Subjects especially focus on Pennsylvania and West Virginia suspension bridges, especially the bridges over the Lehigh River, the Juniata Crossing Bridge over the Juniata River, the Spider Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill over the Schuylkill River, and the Chain Bridge over the Potomac River. The following oversize items were moved to Map Cabinet 12, Drawer 9, Folder 2: 1 sheet of brochures (undated), 4 sheets of engineering drawings (1904 and undated), 7 sheets of logs (undated), 4 sheets of New Jersey state government records (1795-1804), 1 poster (1980), 3 sheets of journal articles (1937), 1 sheet of book excerpt (undated), 42 sheets of clippings (1811, 1904-1911, 1975-1980).

Kemp maintained a set of facsimile files on historic suspension bridges to conduct further research. The box includes correspondence, handwritten and typed notes, journal articles, newsletters and facsimiles of the following: book excerpts, correspondence, clippings, reports, photographs, and engineering drawings. Subjects include suspension bridges, long span suspension bridges, structural engineering, railroad bridges, structural analysis, stiffening girders for suspension bridges, Faustus Verantius and suspension bridges of China, South America, the Alps Mountains, and the Himalayan Mountains. The following oversize items were moved to Map Cabinet 12, Drawer 9, Folder 4: 3 pages of clippings (1860 and 1984), 18 pages of engineering drawings (undated), 2 sheets of illustrations (1833), and 13 sheets of book excerpts (1855-1856).

Kemp maintained a set of facsimile files on historic suspension bridges to conduct further research. This box contains clippings, articles, books, reports, handwritten notes, photographs, certificates and correspondence. It also includes facsimiles of the following: book excerpts, journal articles, engineering drawings, maps, handwritten notes, lists, dissertations, photographs, drawings, correspondence, and clippings. Subjects include bridges in the United States, the Czech Republic and the British Isles; Montrose Bridge in Montrose, Scotland; Trinity Chain Pier in Edinburgh, Scotland; Brighton Chain Pier (also known as Royal Suspension Chain Pier) in Brighton, England; Findhorn Bridge in Inverness, Scotland; Menai Suspension Bridge in Anglesay, Scotland; the Runcorn Railway Bridge in Cheshire, England; the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England; the Yarmouth Suspension Bridge disaster in Great Yarmouth, England; and the Union Chain Bridge in Horncliffe, England. Other subjects include Davies Gilbert and Thomas Telford. The following oversize items were moved to Box 344: 27 pages of book excerpts (1823-1828) and 1 page of clipping (1992).

Kemp maintained research files on bridges and engineering. The box includes facsimile book excerpts and facsimile engineering drawings. Subjects include railroad bridges, truss bridges, historic structures, the history of civil engineering and mechanics.

Kemp collected drawings and card-mounted photographs as pictorial reference for research. Subjects include structures from Europe and the United States, including bridges, railroad bridges, canals, cathedrals, lighthouses, mills, rivers, and turpentine distillery. The Antietam mills, B&O Railroad, Erie Canal, Menai Strait, Schuylkill River, Susquehanna River, the city of Conway, Wales and the city of Wheeling, West Virginia each appear in multiple drawings.

Kemp collected drawings as pictorial reference for research. Subjects include structures from Europe and the United States, including bridges, railroad bridges, villages, coal towns and piers. The Conway Tubular Bridge in Conway, Wales and the city of Richmond, Virginia both appear in multiple drawings.

Kemp researched bridge patents and compiled the reports of others in preparation for his book American Bridge Patents: The First Century (1790-1890) and other publications. The box includes correspondence, book excerpts, drafts of publications, reports, lists of patents, and clippings. Correspondents include David Simmons and Joy Chau. Highlights include many HAER reports on bridges in Ohio.

Kemp collected images of suspension bridges. This box includes originals and facsimiles of the following: drawings, photographs, engineering drawings, and correspondence. Subjects include bridges, suspension bridges, Charles Ellet Jr., John Roebling, James Finley, iron bridges, European suspension bridges, and suspension bridges in the United States (especially the Niagara Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and bridges in Washington, DC and Pennsylvania).