Lyons Leadership

Almost at the tip of southern Florida is an amazing structure that has garnered the attention of tens of thousands of visitors each and every year. Located just over 30 miles of Miami Florida exists one of the most amazing and mind altering tourist attractions in the world. Compared most often to Stonehenge in England, this megalithic marvel rests on the side of the South Dixie Highway as you travel to the Keys

Originally called “Rock Gate Park”, the Coral Castle is a complex built entirely of coral. Its builder, Edward Leedskalnin, constructed this structure over a 20 year period from 1920 until about 1940. Standing only 5 feet tall and weighing a mere 100 pounds, the mystery and the secrets behind the Coral Castle and its builder still confound experts today.

Edward Leedskalnin came to America after courting the love of his life in the country of Latvia. After being rejected before his wedding day, Ed left his homeland in search of something better. Although some say he was motivated to build the Coral Castle to prove his love to the woman that he had lost, there is more behind the mystery, something that borders on the fringe of reality and fantasy.

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.

Ed was a simple man. He had wanted to start a family with Agnes Scuffs, his “Sweet Sixteen” that jilted him the day before their betrothal for one of many popularized reasons. Some say that she rejected Ed because he was too poor and could not support her needs. Other possibilities are that Ed was too old for Agnes, who was 10 years younger, or that he only had a fourth-grade education. Whatever the reason, this rejection set Ed on an epic journey that would lead him to create a structure that modern scientists cannot replicate today.

During his journeys, Ed Leedskalnin traveled throughout Canada, California, and eventually ended up in Texas. He worked in the lumber industry and also took part in cattle drives. The image of Ed is one of a rugged who would be able to tackle the greatest challenges. Unfortunately, his luck ran out after arriving in the state of Texas.

Those that have seen the Coral Castle in Homestead believe that these very laborious jobs made Ed into a very strong man and allowed him to move the 1100 tons of coral that would eventually be known as the Coral Castle. The story seems to be in contrast to the fact that he developed tuberculosis and nearly died after contracting it.

Ed’s small stature, standing only 5 feet tall and weighing a mere hundred pounds, may have been useful working on cattle drives and in the lumber industry, but it was no match for the tuberculosis that he found himself infected with. After being found near the dead in South Florida by a local realtor, through their kindness he was able to recover completely from this illness, something that was virtually unattainable in the latter stages of this disease. Once he was healthy enough, he purchased a single acre of land near Florida City where he began the construction of his monument to the woman that never loved him.

Armed with the belief that America was the land of extremes came true, and began to build in business for himself. Constructing what has been called a garden of rocks; Ed quarried, lifted, and sculpted domestically shaped pieces of coral directly out of the ground that he purchased. Ed carved out chairs, tables, and even a 30 ton obelisk that stood 40 feet high without using modern machinery.

Today, this 30 ton obelisk stands waiting for everyone to see in Homestead, Florida, the final destination of what we all now call the Coral Castle. Florida has many areas where the coral runs several thousand feet thick, and is easily accessible buying just a few inches beneath the topsoil. Although many of Ed’s earlier creations seemed to have a domestic appearance, the Coral Castle is much more than the potential housing for a wife and children that he would never have. It’s astronomical precision seems to hold a clue to its true purpose and genius.

What is even more miraculous is that except for a few pictures but Ed allowed to be taken of him, no one ever saw him working. To this day, no one knows how Edward Leedskalnin extracted, carved, moved, and positioned the coral artifacts that you can see today.

At the Coral Castle, you will see amazing works of art that are made of coral. One of the most amazing creations is a 9 ton gate, popularized by Leonard Nimoy’s “In Search Of” show during the 1970s and 1980s. It was on this show that the iconic Mr. Spock was able to move this 18,000 ton piece of coral with his finger. This chunk of coral is not symmetrical, yet Leedskalnin was able to find the exact center. He drove the whole to the middle of this door perfectly balancing it so that a child could push it with almost no effort at all.

This particular coral artifact stopped spinning during the 1980s and it took several engineers, several workers, and a 60 ton crane to try to repair the door. Today, it still pivots back-and-forth but even with the modern equipment and modern engineering techniques that we have today, the university of Miami Florida and its best engineers were unable to replicate what Ed did in just a matter of days with no help.

Going against all odds, and coming back from a disease that almost killed him, Edward Leedskalnin has created one of the most amazing megalithic structures in the modern world. Although the Coral Castle is a tourist attraction today, just 30 miles south of Miami, is much more than a sideshow attraction. Ed Leedskalnin said that he knew the secrets of the pyramids. Sadly, Ed died with his secrets still in him but fortunately for all of us a legacy of his life is still available in South Florida today. If you are ever in the Miami area, check out the Coral Castle. You will be amazed and astounded by what one man, Edward Leedskalnin, was able to do.