Gibraltar Point Lighthouse Tour
Aug. 12th, 2012 01:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rusty_armourTonight, I had the opportunity to see inside the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, which is very rarely open to the public. In fact, this tour wouldn't have been possible at all if the founder of Muddy York Tours hadn't spent two years pleading his case to Toronto Parks & Rec. And I wouldn't have even known there was a tour if
pyrateanny hadn't been kind enough to give me the heads up. Okay, here's some quick history (for those of you who didn't click on the Wikipedia link) before I get to the pictures. Gibraltar Point Lighthouse was completed in 1808 and is the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It was originally 52 feet tall and was extended to 82 feet in 1932. The first lamp was powered using whale oil before a switch to coal was made in 1863. An electric light was installed 1916-17. The lighthouse is on the Toronto Islands -- specifically Hanlan's Point, which is not only known for the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse but the nude beach as well.
The first lighthouse keeper was J.P. Rademuller, who disappeared in 1815. He was allegedly murdered by drunken soldiers from Fort York who appeared at the lighthouse demanding some of Rademuller's bootlegged beer. After chasing the lighthouse keeper up the stairs, these soldiers supposedly knocked him unconscious and threw him out of the tower. Then, realizing that they had just committed murder, the soldiers hacked up the body and buried the parts on the land around the lighthouse. The soldiers were charged with murder, but then acquitted. A partial skeleton was found in 1893, but there was no way to tell if this was J.P. Rademuller's body. Almost two hundred years later, this is Toronto's oldest unsolved mystery.
You probably won't be surprised to hear that the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse is said to be haunted. An apparition believed to be J.P. Rademuller has been seen on the lighthouse grounds, though, apparently, not in the lighthouse tower. The Parks & Rec. guide said she had heard stories of people driving past the Island Filtration Plant at night and seeing a figure in the field for no apparent reason. Uh, you have to remember that this is an island that is only accessible by ferry. Besides, if memory serves, the tour guide said this figure would vanish if anyone tried to approach it...
Hanlan's Point Ferry Docks.
Random beached boat that seemed kinda cool
Statue of Edward "Ned" Hanlan, a famous rower in the day
Gibraltar Point Lighthouse
Closer view of the lighthouse tower
Heritage plaque
Open door to the lighthouse!
Wooden staircase leading up the tower
Lighthouse light
Interior shot of the lighthouse
Another interior shot of the lighthouse
View from the top of the lighthouse. You can actually see the
field where that mysterious figure has appeared (behind the
big white building (e.g. the Island Filtration Plant)). That
smaller white building with the red roof used to be a
sanatorium for TB patients. Uh, you can only see part of the
building from the lighthouse, which is why it seems so small.
Despite the rain and the attack of the killer red ants (ants that climbed high enough to bite me on the arm, lower back and shoulder), I'm really happy I went on this tour. Who knows when, or even if, I might have another chance to go inside the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.
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Date: 2012-08-12 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 05:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 06:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 11:44 am (UTC)The red ants sound nasty! But I'm glad you had a good time otherwise.
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Date: 2012-08-12 01:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 01:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 03:27 pm (UTC)Ooh, lighthouses and a ghost story! :) I adore tales, like this, especially those in a nautical setting. It sounds as though you had a blast, pesky insects nonwithstanding. Thanks for sharing.
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Date: 2012-08-12 08:12 pm (UTC)The strange thing is that when seeing the photo of the lighthouse I felt almost calm. It was beautiful. But when I saw the photo of the stairs, I shivered for a second even before I had time to really see what was it was. Might have been a coincidence of course.
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Date: 2012-08-12 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 09:11 pm (UTC)You and me both! :-)
I'd heard the story of the first lightkeeper's murder before, which really tweaked my interest because it happened during the Regency.
Yes, both the lighthouse and the murder are Regency period. There's also that possible Fort York connection, which may have tweaked your interest as well.
However, I did not know that there is still a working light at the top of the tower!
That surprised me as well! I think Parks & Rec. must only turn it on when they open the lighthouse to the public as the lighthouse was decommissioned a long time ago. I can't see them keeping it on all the time.
I think I've sent you this link before, but there's also very cool vid from 1958 in the CBC archives, in which the final lightkeeper, Mrs. Dodds, is interviewed: http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/celebrations/halloween-and-tales-of-canadian-ghosts/gibraltar-point-lighthouse-ghost.html
I can't remember if I've read this or not, but I'll certainly check it out! Thanks for sharing it! :-)
The red ants sound nasty! But I'm glad you had a good time otherwise.
Oh, it was definitely worth it, even with the red ants. *g*
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Date: 2012-08-12 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 09:44 pm (UTC)Considering your love of history and architecture, that doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, I often think of you now when I visit older buildings because of your fantastic historic house tour posts. :-)
Great pictures and a really interesting story.
Thank you! I'm glad you liked the pictures and the story behind them! :-)
I love the fact that it's built out of stone.
The stone does make for a beautiful lighthouse, doesn't it? I'm not sure if it was the custom at the time or if it was a matter of working with the materials available. I can tell you that the stone used for the base was from Queenston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenston,_Ontario) and the extension used stone from Kingston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston,_Ontario). Apparently, Kingston is nicknamed "Limestone City" because of all the heritage buildings that were constructed using Kingston limestone.
Thank you so much for sharing! :)
Well, thank you very much for reading! :-D
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Date: 2012-08-12 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-12 10:01 pm (UTC)There is something fascinating about ghost stories, especially ones with a nautical setting. I don't know if you would be interested, but I've written other reports about past ghost walks (http://rusty-armour.livejournal.com/tag/ghost%20walks). I'm also going to post the story Creepy Canada did on the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, so watch your flist. :-)
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Date: 2012-08-12 10:22 pm (UTC)I did have a great time and I was more than happy to share my experience. Thank you for taking the time to read my report,
The strange thing is that when seeing the photo of the lighthouse I felt almost calm. It was beautiful. But when I saw the photo of the stairs, I shivered for a second even before I had time to really see what was it was. Might have been a coincidence of course.
It may not be a coincidence. If there's any truth to the stories, J.P. Rademuller was chased up the stairs before being murdered. Now, the current staircase isn't the same staircase that existed in 1815, but there could still be lingering traces of this trauma in the fabric of the stairwell. You never know.
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Date: 2012-08-12 10:35 pm (UTC)BTW, I'll be posting a video about the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse shortly if you're interested.
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Date: 2012-08-13 12:31 pm (UTC)I certainly will. Thanks. :)