Ed lived a very simple life; he did not own a car. Instead, Ed would ride his bicycle 3. Many people saw the coral carvings being moved along the Dixie Highway, but no one actually ever saw Ed loading or unloading the trailer. In , after the carvings were in place, Ed finished erecting the walls. The coral walls weigh pounds per cubic foot. Each section of wall is 8 feet tall, 4 feet wide, 3 feet thick, and weighs more than 5. When questioned about how he moved the blocks of coral, Ed would only reply that he understood the laws of weight and leverage well.
This man with only a fourth grade education even built an AC current generator, the remains of which are on display today. The only written records Ed left to are five pamphlets that he wrote. These pamphlets are available only in our gift shop. In December of Ed became ill. After his death, a nephew living in Michigan inherited the Castle. In , shortly before his death, the nephew sold the Castle to a family from Illinois.
It's nice to imagine Ed Leedskalnin, who was reportedly an even five feet tall and a pretty small guy, levitating alongside his limestone rocks. But a lot of the "magic" at Coral Castle is just physics. The door, for example, was a huge stone gate that opened and closed way too easily for being a rock.
But when it jammed up in the '80s, workers found that a metal shaft and bearing were behind the "magic. While Ed Leedskalnin never expressly detailed his process for building Coral Castle, he wasn't that secretive about it. His tool shed contained pulleys, hand tools, and everything you'd need to work with rocks. Plus, as experts point out, while heavy, limestone is also rather porous.
So, it's not as difficult to move as you might assume. Overall, the castle is comprised of 1, tons of rock, which involved hard work, but probably not magic. What's really astonishing about Coral Castle and Ed Leedskalnin is that this genius only finished fourth grade. He also grew up in poverty, says Live Science , and if the rumors about his lost love are true, that's a lot of strife to overcome.
Leedskalnin also suffered from tuberculosis multiple times, though he eventually died of kidney problems. For a guy with such a rough life, he sure accomplished a lot. The lore behind Coral Castle even inspired Billy Idol.
In , the artist penned a song called "Sweet Sixteen" about Coral Castle. Apparently, Leedskalnin would say that he built the castle 'for' his sweet sixteen. People interpreted that to mean his thenyear-old almost-wife. Then again, in a book Leedskalnin wrote, he called 'sweet sixteen' an ideology rather than a reflection of true-life events. Of course, no one ever found out the details, and there's still speculation on who his former fiancee was, if she even existed.
While a lot of Coral Castle's intrigue lies in its past, one cool thing about it is that you can rent it out for your own event. After all, it's a pretty convenient location in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and it wouldn't make a bad destination wedding spot, either. Plenty of people have wed there and held tons of other events plus taken fun social media selfies.
And really, going there is the only way to see for yourself whether it was magic or something else that brought Coral Castle to fruition. Erynn Ruiz is a freelance writer with a history of writing about pop culture, travel, and parenting. As a California native, she finds it intriguing to write about and plan to visit exotic locales. Her ghostwriting work also takes her from website copy to blogging and back, and Erynn credits such projects with her vast knowledge of random facts. As proven by its robust Art Deco history and Choose a category.
Stay in the know with all things Miami. Please enter an email This email is not valid. Please check your email and try again. Yes, please email me Greater Miami trip ideas, events and deals. Close Log in. Reset Password. Coral Castle. The tower at Coral Castle. By: Shayne Benowitz May 26, Keyboard shortcuts. Terms of Use. Report a map error. Explore Now. Tour Miami's Wildlife Attractions Stories. Choose a category Add new filter.
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