Ed Leedskalnin – Florida Tourist Attractions Have A Modern Day Marvel

Located at 28655 S. Dixie Hwy. in a little town called Homestead Florida not 35 miles south of Miami lies one of the strangest and most amazing tourist attractions not only in the state of Florida but in the United States.

The Coral Castle Castle was originally called Rock Gate Park. It was built by one man working by himself for over 20 years. From 1920 until 1940, Edward Leedskalnin, more commonly known in the South Florida area as Ed, dedicated most of his adult life to creating this megalithic wonder.

Edward Leedskalnin came to America after courting the love of his life in the country of Latvia. After being rejected before his wedding day, Ed left his homeland in search of something better. Although some say he was motivated to build the Coral Castle to prove his love to the woman that he had lost, there is more behind the mystery, something that borders on the fringe of reality and fantasy.

On the day before the wedding, Agnes told Ed that she did not want to marry him anymore. Many theories have arisen for her rejection of him. Some say that he was too poor for her standards. Others believe that it was his lack of education having only gone to school up until the fourth grade.

Ed was a simple man. He had wanted to start a family with Agnes Scuffs, his “Sweet Sixteen” that jilted him the day before their betrothal for one of many popularized reasons. Some say that she rejected Ed because he was too poor and could not support her needs. Other possibilities are that Ed was too old for Agnes, who was 10 years younger, or that he only had a fourth-grade education. Whatever the reason, this rejection set Ed on an epic journey that would lead him to create a structure that modern scientists cannot replicate today.

It is said that Edward Leedskalnin wandered about for several years. After making his way to Canada, he then moved down into California and eventually arrived in Texas. He worked several types of jobs including the lumber camps in Canada and California. He is said to have also been part of at least one cattle drive in Texas.

For the many thousands that have seen the Coral Castle, one might think that it was the creation of someone who is well acquainted with engineering and was strong enough to move and manipulate several thousand tons of coral. Edward sadly developed a near fatal case of tuberculosis, an illness that would lead them toward an oncoming destiny.

Weighing only 100 pounds and standing a mere 5 feet tall, with the help of a local realtor and his life, Edward Leedskalnin fully recovered from his tuberculosis. Between the years 1918 in 1920, had purchased a single acre of ground in Florida City from the realtor that helped save his life. He purchased it for $12 and began to work his magic with coral.

Ed had a very noble idea of what it meant to come to America. He believes that the United States was the land of opportunity and that a person could find their place and become famous by working hard and staying on task. Based upon this belief, and his love for Agnes, he began the construction of the Coral Castle with the coral that was only a few inches under the topsoil of the land that he had purchased.

Today, this 30 ton obelisk stands waiting for everyone to see in Homestead, Florida, the final destination of what we all now call the Coral Castle. Florida has many areas where the coral runs several thousand feet thick, and is easily accessible buying just a few inches beneath the topsoil. Although many of Ed’s earlier creations seemed to have a domestic appearance, the Coral Castle is much more than the potential housing for a wife and children that he would never have. It’s astronomical precision seems to hold a clue to its true purpose and genius.

Although it has been said that no one ever saw Edward Leedskalnin working, there are several pictures that can be seen that show Ed at work apparently using enormous tripods with a black box attached to the top of them. Enormous pulleys seem to be aiding in the excavation of the Coral at the Homestead site. Unfortunately, researchers such as Christopher Dunn have shown that based upon the photographic evidence, and the primitive tools left behind which can be seen at the Coral Castle today, there is no way that this is the answer to the 1100 ton question.

One of Ed’s greatest creations is a single piece of coral called the Obelisk which weighs nearly 30 tons, stands 40 feet above the ground, and rests in the 6 foot deep hole. Today, modern engineers and modern equipment would be unable to duplicate what Ed was able to do with simple tools over 70 years ago. His secrets died with him in Miami in 1951, secrets that still puzzle modern engineers today.

This particular coral artifact stopped spinning during the 1980s and it took several engineers, several workers, and a 60 ton crane to try to repair the door. Today, it still pivots back-and-forth but even with the modern equipment and modern engineering techniques that we have today, the university of Miami Florida and its best engineers were unable to replicate what Ed did in just a matter of days with no help.

There are many notable tourist attractions throughout Florida including the Miami Seaquarium, Parrot Jungle Island, and Barnacle Historic State Park. However, if you do have a spare couple of hours and are in the Miami or Homestead area, take a trip to the Coral Castle and take one of their tours. You will be amazed by what you see, and ponder for days, or even years, how one person was able to move and carve such enormous blocks of coral. The Coral Castle is a place that you will never forget, and that engineers may never be able to comprehend.

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