GILFORD

Once a part of Gilmanton called Gunstock Parish, Gilford was named for a key battle fought in North Carolina at the end of the Revolutionary War—the Battle of Guilford Court House. Sargent Lemuel B. Mason, who had fought in that battle, retired to Gunstock Parish, and in 1812, he proposed the incorporation of a new town named Gilford. Today, the original name is used by Gunstock Mountain Resort located on Gunstock Mountain.