Gilford is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,803 at the 2000 census. Gilford is situated on Lake Winnipesaukee. It is home to Ellacoya State Beach, Belknap Mountain State Forest, Gunstock Mountain Ski Resort, and Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, a seasonal outdoor concert facility.
History
Settled in 1777 and originally a part of Gilmanton, the town was first called Gunstock Parish. In 1812, Captain Lemuel B. Mason, who had fought in the 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War and subsequently retired to Gunstock Parish, successfully proposed incorporation of a new town to be named Guilford after that battle. The name would later be contracted by clerical error. The original parish name is used by the Gunstock Ski Area at Gunstock Mountain.
More on Gilford: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilford,_New_Hampshire
