OK, this is a seriously cool place…..

In 1912, a Latvian stonemason named Ed Leedskalnin was engaged to be married. When his 16-year-old bride-to-be Agnes left him at the altar, Ed left Lastvia, moved to the US, and ended up in Florida. Here, he began to construct a massive stone castle as a memorial to his “Sweet Sixteen”. Surrounded by a stone wall, the castle contained a number of multi-ton sculptures, chairs, tables, and gates. Working alone by lantern light, Ed never allowed anyone to watch him work and never told anyone how he was able to carve and move the huge blocks of stone by himself.

In 1936, a developer planned to build houses around his castle, so Ed bought another piece of land about ten miles away and moved all his rock pieces, on a flatbed truck. Here, he continued his work, adding carved stones until his death in 1951. Ed had no electricity, no power tools, no draft animals, and no helpers. He lived in his castle, in a two-story coral tower that he built himself, and supported himself only by charging people 25 cents a head to tour the site.

Since then, Ed’s Coral Castle has become world famous, as people have speculated wildly as to how he moved the stones and built the structures. Silly assertions have run to everything from flying saucers to antigravity waves to geomagnetic lei lines. The reality is far more mundane, since we can see some of the tools that Ed used, still stored in his toolshed—levers, pulleys, and determination.

I’d seen the castle so many times on TV that it was sort of an odd feeling to be standing here looking at it.

Here are some photos from a visit.

The entrance. Ed made his own cement for the smooth panels, from crushed coral and water

The castle tower. Made from stacked multi-ton blocks, this is where Ed lived.

Stone stairway leading up to Ed’s living quarters

Ed’s bed. It was hung from the ceiling so it could be raised up out of the way when he was working

The main gate. Weighing 9 tons, the doorway was balanced on a truck axle and could be turned with one hand.

Inside the walled courtyard. Each multi-ton block was carved and set by hand.

Ed’s rocking chair. Weighing half a ton, it is set upon a limestone block.

The Telescope. It is set up to point to the North Star.

Ed’s interest in astronomy was reflected in these carvings representing Mars, Saturn and the Moon

The Sundial. It was Ed’s only way to tell what time it was.

The Obelisk. Almost 30 tons, extending 40 feet above ground and 6 feet underground—all one piece.

The Well. Carved all the way down to the water table, it was Ed’s only source of fresh water.

The Moon Fountain. The two crescent moons weigh about 18 tons, and the center fountain weighs about 23 tons.

Ed’s bathtub, lined with homemade cement to waterproof it

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Some of Ed’s tools. All were made from scrap wood and junk car parts.