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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

1930'S? KEMP FUNERAL HOME 315 CENTRE STREET IN A ROW HOME

GARY SZABO WROTE:


Tom . . . I came across this photo of Elmer Kemp's first funeral parlor located on Centre St. in Trenton which he opened in 1915. I'm told he purchased the McGalliard estate on White Horse Ave. in 1948 and operated as a funeral home which he until his death in 1960. Ward Kingston then purchased the business which continues as the Kingston and Kemp Funeral Home today.
Gary Szabo

Thanks for the photo, Gary. Those old tax photos were always taken hastily with the negative and the ever present writing of the house numbers being superimposed in white on the final product. I don't normally post these tax photos due to the quality of the photos. However, this one is an interesting view of the Kemp Funeral Home on Centre Street in Trenton. Thanks to a bit of "Photoshopping," I removed the street numbers and straightened out the original which was lopsided vertically by 2 or 3 degrees starboard. Gary, it's input like yours that add to the historic value of this website. I never knew that Kemp started in a row house at 315 Centre Street in Trenton. Many thanks.
(By the way, I try to veer away from those Trenton tax photos, most of which are residential structures in the city before they began to implement the re-development process. Additionally, the focus on most of them is usually out of focus. This one is an exception. This one is definitely an exception as it is a commercial entity.)
Thanks again.

Tom Glover

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Tom:
I too am surprised to read that Kemp had a funeral home in the 3oo block of Center st. It was on this block that I began my public school education at the Skelton School in 1938, while the new Parker school was being constructed.
Ed Douress had a funeral home on that block for many many years. He was the first to run a livery of Funeral cars, and hearses from that location in addition to being the "Undertake of choice" for Sacred Heart parish, just up the St. I ushered at Sacred Heart with Ed Douress, and Barry Orpen our City Councilman back in the day.

Nice photo editiing job.

Mike Kuzma
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Tom:
I too am surprised to read that Kemp had a funeral home in the 3oo block of Center st. It was on this block that I began my public school education at the Skelton School in 1938, while the new Parker school was being constructed.
Ed Douress had a funeral home on that block for many many years. He was the first to run a livery of Funeral cars, and hearses from that location in addition to being the "Undertake of choice" for Sacred Heart parish, just up the St. I ushered at Sacred Heart with Ed Douress, and Barry Orpen our City Councilman back in the day.

Nice photo editiing job.

Mike Kuzma