Secrets of the Coral Castle, Florida: An Engineering Marvel

Unexplained Mysteries

Seventeen miles southwest of Miami, Florida, there is a peculiar attraction known as the Coral Castle. During the first half of the 20th century, Edward Leedskalnin built the original rock castle and called it Rock Gate. Legend has it that Ed’s inspiration for this masterpiece was a young woman that he loved dearly who left him at the altar. Although the story behind the garden is touching, it is the sculptures themselves that instill awe, for some of them are enormous and Ed kept the construction and his methods a closely-guarded secret. Thus, how this one man, all alone, built the castle is a still a mystery.

At first glance, the complex might be an amazing place for visitors simply because of the material Leedskalnin used. Most everything within its boundaries is coral. But when you learn more about the history of the site, an even more astonishing backstory emerges. The main reason construction took as long as it did was that the whole park was the work of just one man, Edward Leedskalnin. More incredible was that he was just five feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds.

Edward Leedskalnin - The Builder of Rock Park

Born in the Stāmeriena Parish in Latvia in 1887, Leedskalnin was, by nature, a very secretive and introverted person. According to legend, Leedskalnin proposed marriage to a woman, Agnes Scuffs, when he was 26 years of age. For some reason, she broke off their engagement.

Edward Leedskalnin, circa 1910. Public domain.

Leedskalnin decided to pack up his life and head for New York. He arrived there in April 1912. Unable to find any regular work for the next six months, he opted to relocate once again. This time he headed for the Pacific Northwest and took full advantage of the lumberjack boom that was happening at the time.

Accounts suggest that Leedskalnin headed for the warmer climate of Florida when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. It was there that he bought a plot of land and began working on a home fit for his former fiancé, who he referred to as “Sweet Sixteen.” Many people believe Leedskalnin’s love for Agnes Scuffs was the definitive motive behind the magnificent creation of his coral castle.

The Coral Garden, 2014. Tonya Stinson, CC 2.0.

Mystery of the Coral Castle

Although some theories exist, nobody is exactly certain about how Leedskalnin created his Rock Gate garden in Florida. Without anyone really taking notice of his methods, he quarried, transported, crafted, and constructed around 1000 blocks of coral for the walls of his new home. An additional 100 tons of coral built the structures and furniture within the grounds. Some of those blocks purportedly weighed in excess of 30 tons.