Cantire

Introduction

An historical sign erected by the Women's Institute

©Copyright: Jeri Danyleyko

Cantire was a small farming hamlet in Bruce County first settled by the Taylor and Blue families. The community was named after their original home in Kintyre, Scotland.

Cantire never had a post office. However it had a school, S.S. No. 1, opened during the mid 1870s. The school was also used for Grange meetings and Sunday school classes, held during the summer. There was no church and most residents worshipped in nearby Paisley. The blacksmith shop served as a gathering place of sorts where farmers could hang around and share general chit-chat.

The Cantire cheese factory operated during the 1890s. The company, which also had a branch in Williscroft, thrived until the early 1900s when it was sold.

By the early part of the 20th century, agricultural practises had begun to change. With the trend towards larger farms, the population began to disperse. The school finally closed in 1946 and was later demolished. All that remains of Cantire today is the old water pump from the school, located along the side of the highway.