Spooktober 2026: Keeper of the Light — John Radelmüller’s Ghost

Episode 441: In January 1815, the keeper of Toronto's Gibraltar Point Lighthouse vanished, and John Paul Radelmüller was never seen alive again. Within weeks, two soldiers from a nearby garrison were under arrest for his murder. Months later, a jury acquitted them both. Over two centuries later, the case remains legally unresolved, and the lighthouse where Radelmüller spent his final years has become the basis for Toronto's oldest and most enduring ghost story—one that's grown so far beyond the documented record that most people who know it can't say which parts actually happened. This episode goes back to the original sources — the coroner's inquest, the trial record, the earliest newspaper account — to find out.

Sources:⁠York Gazette | Sat, Jan 14, 1815 | Page 3⁠⁠Gibraltar Point Lighthouse — Wikipedia⁠⁠New Light on Toronto's Oldest Cold Case: The 1815 Murder of John Paul Radelmüller — Eamonn O'Keeffe⁠⁠Toronto's First Murder at Gibraltar Point Lighthouse — my-toronto.ca⁠⁠The Ghost of the Rock: Toronto's 200-Year-Old Lighthouse Cold Case — Sofistikateit⁠⁠Gibraltar Point Lighthouse — Toronto Island Investigation — The Paranormal Seekers⁠⁠Glengarry Light Infantry — Wikipedia⁠⁠Battle of Ogdensburg — Wikipedia⁠⁠Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, 1812–1816 — regimental history⁠⁠Lighthouses in Canada — Fisheries and Oceans Canada⁠⁠Sambro Island Light — Wikipedia⁠⁠Sambro Island's Haunted History — Pinecone Diaries⁠⁠Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site — Wikipedia⁠⁠Gibraltar Lighthouse Toronto | Ghost of Accident or Murder | Article⁠⁠https://ghostwalks.com/articles/gibraltar-lighthouse-toronto⁠⁠The true story of Toronto's island ghost - Spacing Toronto⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices