Gibralter Point Lighthouse, Toronto Island

Located in it's original site on Toronto Island stands the oldest existing lighthouse on the great lakes and Toronto's oldest historical landmark. It stood as a beacon to travellers for many years and though no longer in use, is maintained for both its historical and architectural values.

Like some other historical buildings, the lighthouse has had its share of tragedy. One day in particular was January 2nd, 1815. The lighthouse keeper, John Paul Rademüller, died in circumstances which have left forever two unanswered questions: How did he die? and by whose hands?

The srory goes that Rademüller was murdered by either two or three soldiers from the Fort at York. On April 15th, 1815, the York Gazette printed the following:"No conviction of the supposed murderers of the late John Paul Rademüller as the two suspect (John Henry and John Blowman) were arrested, imprisoned, indicted and subsequently acquited.

In J.Ross Robertson's "Landmark Of Toronto":"But Mr. George Durnan, the lighthouse keeper, states that he heard the story from his father and that he, his son, with his uncle, Joe Durnan, found in 1893, bits of a coffin and parts of the jaw bone of a man, 1m beneath the sand and about 150m west of the present keeper's house", thought they have never been proven to be that of Rademüller's.

It was always claimed that Rademüller was buried west of the lighthouse near the lagoon at the base of the south side of Blockhouse Bay and, in order to certify the story, Mr. Durnan undertook a search and discovered the buried remains.It was claimed by Durnan that you could hear moaning on cold nights; and on foggy nights, Rademüller's ghost wanders searching for his lost limbs. Others have witnessed an apparition decending down the spiral stairs i order to light lamp on stormy nights. There is even a plaque confirming the rumors of the haunting.

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