Bastion of the Detroit
River
For 200 years, fortifications at Fort Malden have witnessed and
participated in the struggles which helped forge a new nation
out of the North American wilderness. An army garrison, British
Indian Department post, dockyard for the Upper Great Lakes and
the meeting place for Chief Tecumseh and British General Brock
- the fort has been all these.
Fort Malden preserves elements of the second fort built by the
British on the eastern bank of the Detroit River to defend the
Canadian border from American attack in the first half of the
19
th century.
The first post, known as Fort Amherstburg, was constructed in
1796 near the mouth of the Detroit River where it empties into
Lake Erie. This post was the headquarters for the British forces
in southwestern Upper Canada during the War of 1812. Fort Malden
was erected after the war and rebuilt in 1838-40 and served once
again as a centre for the British defence during the Upper Canada
Rebellion of 1837-39.
Today the 4.5 hectare site includes remains of the 1840-period
earthworks and four buildings, including a restored and furnished
1819 brick barracks. An orientation centre and interpretation
centre with exhibits will help you to discover the fascinating
history of this outpost of the British Empire.
