Bertie Hall

Bertie Hall is one of Fort Erie's historical landmarks. It was named in honour of Sir Pergine Bertie III, who was the Duke of Ancaster and the 19th Baron of Willoughby. Bertie Hall was built in 1835 in the township of Bertie, in the Greek Rivival Style. The original round Doric columns at the entrance began to deteriorate, and as replacement was prohibited the originals were sheathed in metal and formed into square columns by Frank Pattison, owner of the house from 1905-1968.

Bertie Hall was owned by the Forsyth family from 1832-1872, by Stephen Jarvis from 1872-1875, by John Crabb from 1875-1892, and was used as a hotel where King edward VII slept in 1866 when he was Prince of Wales. Robert Barrett was the owner until it was purchased by Mr. Pattison.

The house was constructed of brick hauled by horse and wagon from Hamilton and the work in the basement was brought from the shores of Lake Erie and the Niagara River. The rooms all boast 12 foot ceilings, including the basement which goes down to bedrock for its floor. Massive hand hewn black walnut beams support the roof, and the orginal pine floors are still  in evidence throughout the house, as is the 22 foot curving staircase.

The basement is said to have a tunnel used by the Underground Railroad for smuggling slaves escaping from the southern United States from 1828-1865. Chines were also smuggled to the U.S. after working in Fort Erie building the Canadian National Railway and Bertie hall may have been used as a base of operations. When one of the Forsyth sons drowned in the tunnel, it was sealed, and as yet, no one has discovered where the mysterious opening is.

The las owner of Bertie Hall, John Kilbridge, sold the house to the Niagara Parks Commission in 1981. The town of Fort Erie leased it from the Parks Commission, who in turn leased it to Mrs. Mahoney.