Coral Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Coral Castle
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A structure resembling the Moon, along with other structures at Coral Castle
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida |
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| Built | 1920 |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000840 |
| Added to NRHP | May 10, 1984 |
The Coral Castle is a mysterious structure made from huge stones. It was built by a man named Edward Leedskalnin (1887–1951) in Florida. He was from Latvia. The castle is located in an area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the cities of Homestead and Leisure City.
The castle has many very large stones, some weighing many tons. These stones are carved into different shapes. You can see walls, tables, chairs, a crescent moon, a water fountain, and even a sundial. Today, Coral Castle is a popular place for tourists to visit. Many people wonder how Edward Leedskalnin built it all by himself. Some legends say he used special powers or even "reverse magnetism" to move the giant stones.
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The Castle's Amazing Story
The story of Coral Castle begins with Edward Leedskalnin. When he was 26 years old, his 16-year-old fiancée, Agnes Skuvst, left him just before their wedding in Latvia. Heartbroken, Edward moved to the United States.
He became very sick with a serious illness. But he said he healed himself using magnets. This experience might have inspired some of his later ideas.
Edward spent over 28 years building Coral Castle. He worked mostly alone and often at night. He didn't like people watching him. Some teenagers claimed they saw the coral blocks floating like balloons! Edward himself only mentioned using a "perpetual motion holder" as a tool.
Moving the Castle Stones
Edward first built his castle, which he called "Ed's Place," in Florida City, Florida, around 1923. This area was very quiet and undeveloped back then. He bought the land from a family who helped him when he was sick again.
Around 1936, Edward decided to move his entire castle. He wanted more privacy because people were starting to develop the land around his first home. He spent three years moving all the heavy stone structures about 10 miles (16 km) north to its current spot near Homestead.
His new home was called "Rock Gate" because of a huge swinging gate he built. He kept working on the castle until he passed away in 1951. The stones for the new parts of the castle were dug up right on his property, just a few feet from the walls.
Visiting Edward's Creation
When Edward lived in Florida City, he charged visitors ten cents to see his castle. After moving to Homestead, he asked for twenty-five cents. But he would let people in for free if they didn't have money.
There are signs carved into rocks at the front gate that say "Ring Bell Twice." Edward would come down from his living area in the castle tower to give tours. He never told anyone how he built the castle. He would just say, "It's not difficult if you know how."
When asked why he built the castle, Edward would say it was for his "Sweet Sixteen." Many believe this was a reference to Agnes Skuvst, the girl who left him.
What Happened After Edward?
In November 1951, Edward became ill. He put a sign on his gate saying "Going to the Hospital" and took a bus to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He died 28 days later from kidney problems at age 64.
When his property was checked, about $3,500 was found. Edward earned money from giving tours, selling small books about his ideas (like magnetic currents), and selling some of his land for a road. Since he didn't have a will, his nephew inherited the castle.
His nephew was not well, so he sold the castle to a family from Illinois in 1953. The new owners turned it into a tourist attraction. They changed the name from Rock Gate to Rock Gate Park, and then to Coral Castle.
In 1981, the castle was sold to a company called Coral Castle, Inc., which still owns it today. In 1984, Coral Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which recognizes important historical sites.
Exploring Coral Castle
The Coral Castle grounds have about 1,100 tons of stone. These stones form walls, carvings, furniture, and a castle tower. Many people think it's made of coral, but it's actually made of a type of rock called oolite limestone. This rock is found all over southeastern Florida, often just a few inches under the ground.
The stones are put together without any mortar (like glue for bricks). They are simply stacked on top of each other, using their own weight to stay in place. The way they fit is so perfect that you can't see any light passing through the joints. The tall stones that make up the outer wall are all the same height. Even after many years, the stones have not moved.
Amazing Stone Features
Inside the castle, you can see many cool things. There's a two-story castle tower where Edward lived, with walls made of 8-foot-high stone pieces. There's also a very accurate sundial, a polar telescope (for looking at stars), and a tall stone obelisk.
You can also find a barbecue, a water well, a fountain, and carvings of stars and planets. The furniture is also made of stone. There's a heart-shaped table, a table shaped like Florida, 25 rocking chairs, chairs shaped like crescent moons, a bathtub, beds, and a throne.
Most of these objects are made from single pieces of stone. Each piece weighs about 15 tons on average. The biggest stone weighs 30 tons, and the tallest stones are two huge pillars, each 25 feet (7.6 m) high.
The Famous Revolving Gate
A very famous part of the castle is the 9-ton revolving gate. It's 8 feet tall and fits perfectly within a quarter of an inch of the walls. It was so well-balanced that a child could open it with just a finger!
The mystery of how this gate worked lasted for decades. But it stopped turning in 1986. To remove it, six men and a 50-ton crane were needed. When engineers looked at it, they found out Edward had drilled a hole through the stone and put a metal shaft inside. The stone rested on an old truck bearing. This bearing had rusted, which made the gate stop working.
The gate was repaired with new bearings and put back in place in 1986. It broke again in 2005 and was fixed, but it doesn't spin as easily as it used to.
Coral Castle is still a popular place to visit. People still wonder how Edward Leedskalnin built such a huge structure and moved such heavy stones. While some stories say no one ever saw him work, there is a short film from 1944 that shows him building. The Coral Castle website says that Edward would only reply that he "understood the laws of weight and leverage well." He also said he had "discovered the secrets of the pyramids."
- The Coral Castle
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See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Coral para niños
- Bishop Castle, another castle built by one person in Colorado
- Ferdinand Cheval, a French postman who built a similar stone castle
- Mystery Castle, a castle built by one man in Arizona
- Watts Tower, a unique art structure built by one artist
