| The Guard Room at Old Fort Erie accommodated soldiers on Guard Duty and these men were expected to be fully dressed and equipped at all times. In peacetime, there would be up to 20 men on duty for policing or fire fighting duties and as a first line of defence for the fort. The men were on duty for 24 hours, so a communal bunk was provided, but without bedding. Smoking, gambling and alcohol consumption were forbidden. By regulation, the Guard Room was to have an axe, bucket, broom, candlestick and a lantern. |  |
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| The Soldiers' Barracks housed the men of the garrison, their wives and children. In peacetime, this room would house 60 people and the other building housed approximately 90. In garrison, 6 out of 100 men were allowed to bring their wives from Great Britain. The women in a regiment were paid to do the laundry and sewing. The wooden bunks were supplied with a palliasse (a mattress stuffed with straw), a blanket, a sheet and a bolster. For privacy, blankets were placed around a couple's bunk. Children slept wherever they could find a space and pets were common in the barracks. Storehouses near the river were also used to accommodate troops. With limited space, the Canadian Militia and Native Forces often camped in and around the fort. |  |
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| The Officers' Quarters (upstairs), in contrast to the Barracks, were usually well furnished and comfortable, reflecting a higher standard of living. Senior Officers, in many cases, paid for their lodging elsewhere and junior officers lived in the fort. Furnishings, equipment, uniforms, as well as the upkeep of the Officers' Mess were paid for by the officers themselves. Since officers often moved from post to post, some of the furniture was designed to be portable. The canopy bed in the officers' bedroom is an original travelling or camp bed, belonging to Capt. Kingsley of the 8th Regt. of Foot, who served here at Fort Erie. |  |
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| The Powder Magazines were used for the storage and preparation of Gun Powder and Fort Erie has three magazines today. The doors were sheathed in copper, as were the ventilation shafts. Iron construction was considered dangerous because of the possibility of sparking. The inner door is off-set from the outer door to prevent direct line of fire into the room. To avoid accidents, all gun powder preparation material and tools were made of brass or copper and the small window allowed soldiers to safely light their work area with a lantern. |  |
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| The Fire Pits and Gardens were usually located, during peacetime, outside the walls of the fort. The fire pits were actually referred to as "kitchens" on contemporary military maps. The men did their own cooking and could supplement their rations by fishing, hunting, growing vegetables or purchasing food from local farms. The garden at Fort Erie was five times the size of the fort and included a sheep pen, a pig pen and separate garden plots for soldiers, sergeants and officers. |
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| The Officers' Kitchen was more elaborate. The food prepared here and the cooks' wages were paid for by the officers. When the American army occupied Fort Erie all the lower rooms in the barracks were used as kitchens or mess houses and women were employed as cooks. This kitchen has an unpleasant history as the scene of fierce fighting in the early hours of August 15, 1814, during a failed British attempt to take the fort from the Americans. This end of the fort was badly damaged by the explosion of a gun powder magazine during the same battle. |  |
