Coral Castle Reviews (Homestead, Florida)

Love Never Dies

Marietta, Georgia

May 8, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo We visited the Coral Castle after seeing it alongside the road during a drive down to the Everglades. The massive stonework stands as a memorial to the lost love, Sweet Sixteen, of Ed Ledskalnin.Ed lost his love, who he always referred to as ...Read more We visited the Coral Castle after seeing it alongside the road during a drive down to the Everglades. The massive stonework stands as a memorial to the lost love, Sweet Sixteen, of Ed Ledskalnin.

Ed lost his love, who he always referred to as "Sweet Sixteen", when he was still in his native Latvia. He was engaged to her, but she spurned his love and told him that he was too old for her (he was 26 and she was 16). He decided to leave Latvia and wandered the world for a while - eventually making his way to the North American continent - residing in Canada, California and Texas before settling in Florida City, FL.

After a while, and for reasons of his own - not disclosed to anyone else - Ed decided to create a monument to his lost love. He used the native coral rock that covers this part of Florida and weighs over 100 lbs/ cubic foot. He had no carving tools, so he created his own from discarded objects that he recycled for his projects. Bicycle parts became pulleys and truck parts became carving tools for the stone that he quarried from his property.

Ed was a slight man, only 5 feet tall and 100 lbs. Yet he managed to use his knowledge of leverage and physics to create a sculpture that defies description. He managed to move blocks of coral rock that weighed more than 6 tons each. And there is no record of anyone actually seeing him either sculpt or move these blocks.

The Castle is designed to look like a real home - minus the overstuffed sofa and roof among other luxuries. Ed carved a "bedroom" with twin beds, a "bathroom" with a tub, a "kitchen" with a cooker of his own design, a "living room" and "dining room" of carved chairs (some of which rock) and tables, and an "observatory" that actually will pinpoint the North Star.

All of this was accomplished in secrecy and with modified objects as tools - a wonder in any day and age. And it was moved from it's original location to the present one in Homestead, FL, without anyone seeing the move occur! His was a man who valued privacy.

Although Ed did not mind tourists (he would take you on a tour for 10 cents) he did not always answer the doorbell if he was not in the mood for visitors or if he was busy on a project.

This is one sight that needs to be seen to be believed. It is kid and handicapped friendly and something that might spark the creative light in a young mind.

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Coral Castle

by Travel'in Gal

Mantua, Ohio

November 30, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo Today my husband and I took a drive down to Homestead, Florida. Home of the magnificent and mysterious Coral Castle. The history of this awesome tourist attraction is sad, yet wonderful, because without this story of lost love we would not have ...Read more Today my husband and I took a drive down to Homestead, Florida. Home of the magnificent and mysterious Coral Castle. The history of this awesome tourist attraction is sad, yet wonderful, because without this story of lost love we would not have this magnificent monument to true love.

The legend is as a 26-year-old in Latvia, Ed Leedskalnin, was jilted on the eve of his wedding to his 16-year-old sweetheart. She claimed that he was too old and poor to marry. Poor broken hearted Ed moved to the US worked in Washington as a logger until tuberculosis forced him to a warmer climate. While wandering South Florida Ed decided to settle in. He bought a rocky acre, and soon mystery surrounded the 5-foot, 100-pound man who read books on magnetic currents and cosmic forces by day, and by night carved huge blocks of coral from his land.

How did he do it? He claims he discovered principles of magnetism used by the Egyptians to construct the pyramids. He also wrote a small book called "Magnetic Current" to explain his theories.

He used no heavy machinery or any human help in carving and constructing his home, according to sworn affidavits dated 1955 from people who knew him. He managed to carve out giant blocks of coral weighing up to 56,000 pounds and position them into what he named Rock Gate. In 1923 he opened his home to the public and charged people $.10 for a tour of his castle and courtyard hidden behind an eight foot wall of coral blocks.

Even more amazing, the neighborhood became too dangerous for Ed to live in so he moved his home piece by piece to its present location in Homestead, 10 miles away, near the site of the new U.S. 1 to attract more tourists.

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, Coral Castle draws about 65,000 visitors a year. Close

From journal Coral Castle: Homage to Love or Egyptian Magic

Coral Castle

by avad88

St Simons Island, Georgia

February 14, 2003

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Coral Castle is a unique and interesting place to visit. It is a home made of large coral built by one man. It has walls, furniture, etc. made entirely of coral blocks and it is fascinating. This is a "kid friendly" place and worth the trip from ...Read more

From journal Ft Lauderdale Fantasy

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