Kimberton Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: See also:Kimberton Historic District
Why it's listed
Kimberton is a village district at the crossroads of Kimberton and Hare's Hill roads in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with buildings dating from about 1770 to the early twentieth century. Its earliest structures include the 1768 Black Bear Tavern, the stone French Creek Boarding School begun around 1787, and the 1796 Chrisman Mill, all built of local stone in a vernacular manner. Emmor Kimber, a Quaker educator who arrived in 1817, ran the boarding school, owned much of the crossroads, operated a general store, and served as the local postmaster, which gave the village its name. The district is significant for its record of local commerce, including mills, taverns, and stagecoach service. After the Pickering Valley Railroad reached the village in 1871, its eastern end grew around a station and milk receiving station. The village retains excellent integrity, with few demolitions over the past century and a predominantly domestic scale.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is locally significant as an agricultural and commercial village that served as a local education, market and transportation center. It highlights the influence of the educator and entrepreneur Emmor Kimber, the mill, tavern and store economy, and the growth around the Pickering Valley Railroad station after 1871. The village is also described as having excellent architectural integrity and a domestic scale.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87001252, listed July 30, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Hare's Hill, Prizer, and Kimberton Rds., Kimberton |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | July 30, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001252 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1768 - 1920 |
| Architectural style | Colonial vernacular, with Queen Anne, Arts and Crafts-influenced foursquare houses, and Georgian-derived forms |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Nearly all buildings are described as well maintained; the frame milk receiving station is vacant, and the former boarding school is now a multiple-family residence. |
| Acreage | 44.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.13251, -75.57438 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87001252.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15238490
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.