The Coral Castle

K so I'm a blogging slacker.... just now getting a 3 week old post up and running. While Tomm's family was here we visited the CORAL CASTLE MUSEUM! It was soooo awesome! I had heard about it several years ago so I was so exited that everyone wanted to go see it. We had an amazing time!

The Coral Castle was built by Edward Leedskalnin; he built it alone.... by himself! It took him 20 years to build (1920 to 1940). Edward was born in Latvia in 1887 and died in Miami in 1951.

The story surrounding the Coral Castle is quite a tragic love story... When Ed was 26 years old he was engaged to Agnes Scuffs; a girl he called "Sweet Sixteen". On the day before their wedding she told Ed she didn't want to marry him because he was too old for her (her being 10 years younger than him). Hurt by the rejection Ed left Latvia and wandered for several years through Canada, California, and Texas working different jobs that gave Ed the strength and skills he would later use to cut and move blocks of coral weighing several tons. At some point Ed developed Tuberculosis. He was told South Florida was a good climate for his conditions so he came here sometime 1918-1920. He bought an acre of land in Florida City for $12.00. Ed then chose to carve a castle of coral in dedication to "Sweet Sixteen". This part of Florida is composed of coral, in some places as much as 4,000 feet thick, covered by only a few feet of topsoil. The amazing feat was in cutting and moving huge coral blocks single-handedly using hand tools. One of the things that make his work so remarkable is that he was only 5 feet tall and weighed only 100 pounds!!! Despite people being very curious of what he was building and HOW he was doing it, Ed worked very secretly; there is no record of anyone ever seeing him work! At one time growth and development in Florida City was threatening Ed's private life so he decided to MOVE (what?!!!) 10 miles North. There he bought 10 acres. SO, how did Ed move all of his great carvings a distance of 10 miles? HE had the chassis of an old Republic truck on which he laid two rails. He had a friend with a tractor who moved the loaded trailer back and forth on the old Dixie Highway. No one ever saw Ed loading or unloading the trailer... Why not? Ed did much of his work at night by lantern light. Ed having a suspicious nature tried to keep the spies at bay with the castle walls and gates. Coral weighs about 125 lbs per cubic foot. Each section of wall is 8 feet tall, 4 feet wide and 3 feet thick and weigh about 13,000 pounds!!!

It is no question that the Coral Castle became the center of Ed's life. Though he was careful not to show his construction secrets he was said to always like the company of neighbors and tourists... especially the children. Everyone said that he was a friendly man. He never married and never had any children. In 1980 he knew his Sweet Sixteen was alive in Latvia, widowed and that she knew about the monument he had built for her. She never came to see it. Many consider Ed a different and interesting man. Many wonder how did he ever manage such a feat on his own. Those that know him best say that Ed didn't believe in the word "can't". He said that his generation knew accomplishments by the sweat of the brow.

(Good man!!! I respect that!)

Ed also wrote a total of 5 pamphlets: A Book for Every Home (containing his thoughts on 3 things: Sweet Sixteen, Domestic and Political views). Magnetic Current. Mineral, Vegetable and Animal Life. These pamphlets are only available in the gift shop. If you want to learn any more the website is http://www.coralcastle.com/.

The girls are all ready to go!

The guys; been ready for some time; patience is wearing thin.....

Me and Ali. Cute kitty that we saw at the gas station in Florida City.
We're here! Let the pictures begin!
Haha! What a doll!
What Ed would charge the tourists to see his castle.
The entrance

The 3 ton gate, perfectly balanced on the axle of a Model T Ford. He put a Coca-Cola bottle neck on the end of the axle so he could easily lubricate it.
Weird plant growing on the coral.
A look inside the gate.

How did he do it? Did he really know the secrets to building the ancient pyramids?

The bedroom. With two twin beds. Next to Sweet Sixteen's bed was a rocking cradle what weighed 155 lbs. Next to the cradle he built a children's rocker weighing 85 lbs.

The bathtub

The Well

A Mirror

Yes Sir!

"The Grotto of the Three Bears" Ed built this as a play area for children. He loved children and wanted them to have a place to play. He loved to tell them stories... this play area was based on the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" Under one of the trees is a heart shaped stool he built especially for Goldilocks; he said she'd have a hard time breaking that chair. And one of the porridge bowls, he lined with cement so that food and drink could be served. CUTE!

Dad in front of "Repentance Corner". Ed would take kids who mis-behaved and make them put thier heads through the holes and wedge them in with a piece of wood. Then he would talk to them.... WOW! That'll teach em.

The Florida Table. He carved this table in the exact shape and in the exact proportion to the State of Florida. He even put in Lake Okeechobee, Fla's largest lake, right where it should be on the map. He would use it as a finger bowl, bird bath or punch bowl (not at the same time, I hope!). He built 1,000 lb rocking chairs all around the table.

A better view of the rocking chairs.

The Moon Fountain.

The Throne Room (because... what's a castle without one?)

The living quarters.

There are SIXTEEN steps leading Upstairs. Coincidence?

Upstairs looking down at Tomm and Al.

Kerosene stove and screened-in food box (keeping creepies and varmits out)

Ed's hanging bed.

Ed and Ali. Hmmm I don't think he's her type.

Downstairs: The Tool Room.

One of the Moons. Amazing! How did he get it up there???

My studly stallion wielding the 9 ton gate as if it were just a really heavy gate. It was still really hard to move. They said that before Hurricane Andrew came through you could push and move this gate with one finger. Now it takes a little more. But, still!, 9 tons y'all!

The reading chairs! I would be in these a lot and no matter what time of day it is, you can get a nice tan by moving to the right chair. They really are comfy too.

Dad and Daughter!

Mom and Dad.

The guys taking it easy!

Tomm moving the 9 ton gate!

Annalynn moving the 3 ton gate!