Emmor Kimber (1775 -1850) for whom Kimberton is named, was a community leader, a prominent Quaker, a progressive educator, a farmer, and a noted abolitionist. He was one of a group of abolitionist Quakers, considered radical by many, that created a break within their Quaker church by believing that the immediate abolition of slavery was in accordance with divine will. In 1818 he established a boarding school for girls, which he successfully ran for 30 years. Kimber made his home and school a major stop on the Underground Railroad. He risked the reputation of his school and his income to hide, house, and clothe fugitives on their path to freedom. He received many slaves from southern Chester County and from eastern Lancaster County.