The Village of Kimberton

The fascinating history of Kimberton spans over two centuries and could be the basis for a web site of its own. On these pages, we offer a glimpse of the village as it grew from simple crossroads connecting several commercial areas (with the inevitable tavern for weary travelers) through its life as a mill town, a boarding school village, an agricultural center and in modern days, as a remarkably well preserved glimpse of the past located within the bustling Delaware Valley.
 
Before Kimberton -
Kimberton is located in East Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  The township gets its name from Joseph Pike, an Irish merchant who was granted the land by William Penn on December 3, 1705. Through the deaths of various owners who never migrated to the colonies and various legal matters, the land ultimately became the sole property of Samual Hoare (who also never visited the colonies).
Hoare had attorneys in Philadelphia sell the land in parcels or lease it in small parcels in order to encourage settlement. On September 27, 1745, the Chester County Commissioners formalized "Pike´s Land" as Pikeland Township, which was subsequently divided into East Pikeland and West Pikeland Townships in 1838. [Ref: Futhey & Cope, History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1881.]