The Hunter House – 230 Kempenfelt Drive
It’s hard to imagine a prettier house with a prettier view than this lovely residence located at the southwest corner of Kempenfelt Drive and Nelson Square West.
Kempenfelt Drive gets its name from the bay, which was named for Richard Kempenfelt, a British Royal Navy officer, and Nelson Square was named for British Admiral Horatio Nelson.
In 1843, Kempenfelt Drive, likely no more than a wagon path, ran along the north shore of the bay from Nelson Square past Duckworth Street.
Today, Kempenfelt Drive runs from Puget Street to Berczy Street, although the section between Vancouver and Puget streets is not currently open. The old village of Kempenfeldt was located farther east of Kempenfelt Drive and St. Vincent Park on Kempenfelt Drive, and was site of the annual Rotary Club chicken barbecue on Civic Holiday weekends for many years.
The gracious home at 230 Kempenfelt Dr., was built about 1875. Various businessmen had held the title to the property, including Thomas Meldrum (who opened the Union Inn at Dunlop and Poyntz streets) and Bank of Toronto managers J.A. Strathy and John T. Burnside, before the home transferred to James Hunter in 1887.
James McFie Hunter was born almost exactly 170 years ago, on Aug. 11, 1851 in Boreland, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. In July 1879, he married Sarah Jane McConkey (born in Innisfil) in Bradford. The Hunters later had five children — four boys and one girl.
Also in 1879, construction was underway at the Barrie Grammar School to build new facilities at the corner of Blake and Rodney streets. Enrolment was growing — they had allowed girls to attend as of 1865 (although government grants to the school were still for boys only), and in 1878 the school added an assistant headmaster and increased its staff to three teachers. By 1880, the new, enlarged school had an elevated status: Barrie Collegiate Institute (BCI).
James Hunter joined the faculty of BCI in 1882. By then, the student body had swelled to 180 enrolments. When H.B. Spotton, who had been headmaster since 1868, replacing Rev. W.F. Checkley, retired, James Hunter was promoted to principal of Barrie Collegiate Institute effective Jan. 1, 1892.
Unfortunately, James Hunter only enjoyed his new position for a short time, dying of tuberculosis in May 1893 at the very early age of 41.
Hunter's widow, Sarah, remained in their house after his death. Daughter Jessie, who had been living in Bradford by 1901, was back in Barrie by 1911 and living at 230 Kempenfelt Dr. Like her dad, Jessie was also part of the staff at Barrie Collegiate Institute, working as a secretary.
After Sarah Hunter passed away at the Kempenfelt Drive house in 1941, Jessie continued to live in the family home.
After Jessie’s death, the Rookes were next to own 230 Kempenfelt Dr., beginning in 1981, taking excellent care of this splendid home for almost 40 years.
This magnificent home — with its stunning, unobstructed view of the bay from the front windows, enchanting verandah or most notably, the charming ‘Lunenburg Bump’ over the front entrance — still has original fireplaces and other period architectural features inside.
In 2017, the Kempenfelt Drive home received a Heritage Award from Heritage Barrie for its historical and architectural significance.
