Florida's Stonehenge - The Coral Castle In Homestead
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 08:47 | 
Author: Michael Kohler |
Just south of Miami Florida a little town called Homestead is one of the most interesting tourist attractions found not only in the state of Florida but also in the world.
Just south of Miami Florida a little town called Homestead is one of the most interesting tourist attractions found not only in the state of Florida but also in the world.
This place is called the Coral Castle. It was built by one man over a period of 20 years. His name was Edward Leedskalnin. He dedicated his life to creating this 1100 tons structure of coral to a person that he loved who did not love him.
As the story goes, and Leedskalnin was engaged to be married to his sweetheart named Agnes Scuffs. Ed was infatuated with her and affectionately called her his "Sweet 16". Ed called her this because he was 26 years old at the time and she was nearly 16.
On the day before the wedding, Agnes told Ed that she did not want to marry him anymore. Many theories have arisen for her rejection of him. Some say that he was too poor for her standards. Others believe that it was his lack of education having only gone to school up until the fourth grade.
Regardless of the reason, this event changed the course of Ed's life. He decided to pack up everything that he had in his hometown of Latvia and journey to Canada to start a new life.
It is said that Edward Leedskalnin wandered about for several years. After making his way to Canada, he then moved down into California and eventually arrived in Texas. He worked several types of jobs including the lumber camps in Canada and California. He is said to have also been part of at least one cattle drive in Texas.
Those that have seen the Coral Castle and its megalithic sized stone structures can imagine that perhaps Edward Leedskalnin was a very strong man. This is in contrast to the fact that he almost died from tuberculosis before ever creating his coral home.
Luckily for Ed he was found by a local realtor that helped him back to good health and recover from the tuberculosis that he had contracted. Ed then purchased a $12 piece of land from the realtor and began to make his famous megalithic structure.
One of the best things about America is that it represents a land of opportunity, even for immigrants from small countries like Latvia. Ed was not limited to the size of his country and began to build his future home out of coral on the land he had just purchased.
According to geologists, this area of Florida has coral that goes down several thousand feet. Therefore, Ed had plenty of material to work with and began construction of his coral home including beds, tables, and shares all made out of coral.
The mystery of Ed Leedskalnin is that no one ever found out his secret. No witness ever saw him move a single piece of coral and place or cut it into pieces that they became.
It created many amazing coral pieces including what is called the Polaris telescope. It is a single piece of coral that is so perfectly carved and positioned that you can look through a triangular eyepiece and see the Northstar every night.
Edward Leedskalnin died in'51. No one ever found out his secret for moving blocks of coral that way sometimes in excess of 30 tons. Regardless of how he did it, it is an amazing structure to behold.
For people traveling in the Miami area, the Coral Castle is a must stop must see tourist attraction that is the life's work of one man who used his secret, a secret that has not been lost again.
Just south of Miami Florida a little town called Homestead is one of the most interesting tourist attractions found not only in the state of Florida but also in the world.
This place is called the Coral Castle. It was built by one man over a period of 20 years. His name was Edward Leedskalnin. He dedicated his life to creating this 1100 tons structure of coral to a person that he loved who did not love him.
As the story goes, and Leedskalnin was engaged to be married to his sweetheart named Agnes Scuffs. Ed was infatuated with her and affectionately called her his "Sweet 16". Ed called her this because he was 26 years old at the time and she was nearly 16.
On the day before the wedding, Agnes told Ed that she did not want to marry him anymore. Many theories have arisen for her rejection of him. Some say that he was too poor for her standards. Others believe that it was his lack of education having only gone to school up until the fourth grade.
Regardless of the reason, this event changed the course of Ed's life. He decided to pack up everything that he had in his hometown of Latvia and journey to Canada to start a new life.
It is said that Edward Leedskalnin wandered about for several years. After making his way to Canada, he then moved down into California and eventually arrived in Texas. He worked several types of jobs including the lumber camps in Canada and California. He is said to have also been part of at least one cattle drive in Texas.
Those that have seen the Coral Castle and its megalithic sized stone structures can imagine that perhaps Edward Leedskalnin was a very strong man. This is in contrast to the fact that he almost died from tuberculosis before ever creating his coral home.
Luckily for Ed he was found by a local realtor that helped him back to good health and recover from the tuberculosis that he had contracted. Ed then purchased a $12 piece of land from the realtor and began to make his famous megalithic structure.
One of the best things about America is that it represents a land of opportunity, even for immigrants from small countries like Latvia. Ed was not limited to the size of his country and began to build his future home out of coral on the land he had just purchased.
According to geologists, this area of Florida has coral that goes down several thousand feet. Therefore, Ed had plenty of material to work with and began construction of his coral home including beds, tables, and shares all made out of coral.
The mystery of Ed Leedskalnin is that no one ever found out his secret. No witness ever saw him move a single piece of coral and place or cut it into pieces that they became.
It created many amazing coral pieces including what is called the Polaris telescope. It is a single piece of coral that is so perfectly carved and positioned that you can look through a triangular eyepiece and see the Northstar every night.
Edward Leedskalnin died in'51. No one ever found out his secret for moving blocks of coral that way sometimes in excess of 30 tons. Regardless of how he did it, it is an amazing structure to behold.
For people traveling in the Miami area, the Coral Castle is a must stop must see tourist attraction that is the life's work of one man who used his secret, a secret that has not been lost again.