Far right in picture circa 1899 is Abe Derry the cheesemaker, top right is John Harvey Gunter, far left is Watt Grant and top left is George Sprackett – photo from Ruth Tierney and Gerald Boyce
(The following information is from Ruth Tierney’s Echoes of the Past published in 1986 & Gerald Boyce’s Historic Hastings published in 1967)
The hamlet of Gunter is situated about three miles east of Gilmour in Cashel Township.
Between 1860 and 1865 a family named Gunter arrived. Abraham (father), and his four sons Samuel, Ephriam, John Harvey and Hiram were instrumental in building the small school with log seats. Ten years later a larger schoolhouse was built and the ofer building used as a wood shed.
John became the first post master. He relied on his rooster and horse to get him and into Gilmour every morning to pick up the mail.
William Gunter officially name and registered Gunter lake in 1861. William was also head foreman for all the Gilmour lumber camps in the province of Ontario.
Peter, a nephew of Abraham was elected Reeve from 1874 to 1879.
James Cunningham erected the first water-powered mill in 1865.
By 1875 other families arrived in Gunter. These being, Kemps, Weeses, Kellys and Trumbles.
The village at its prime had two mills, a school, a teacher’s residence, an active lumbering trade and a profitable cheese factory.
