Have you ever heard people talk about Coral Castle in Florida? Ever wondered how it got there, how it was built? Have you ever wondered how it has managed to survive hurricanes, yet the city, Homestead, where it is located, became completely flattened by the fierce winds?

This blog will hopefully be able to answer some of your questions and educate you about the history of how and why it was built. Hopefully, after reading this, it will make you want to visit and see the incredible castle for yourself!

There is just one question nobody can answer: ‘how was Coral Castle built?’

History of Coral Castle

A man called Edward Leedskalnin from Lativa was rejected by his 16-year-old fiancee, Agnes Skuvst, just one day before their wedding day. She was the love of his life and he called her, his sweet 16.

Completely heartbroken, Edward left Lativa and headed over to America to build a castle for his sweet 16, Agnes Skuvst. It wasn’t easy finding the right ground to build on. He searched the South of Florida for miles and miles until he found the correct land for what he had planned.

People Would Spy

Sadly, he developed terminal tuberculosis. However, this did not stop him. He continued searching for the correct piece of land. Nobody but Edward knew what he was after. Some people thought he was looking for treasure. He wasn’t after the type of land you can grow crops on, he was after a piece of land that nobody else wanted. Eventually, he found the right piece of land and started to build his castle.

People would spy on him, trying to work out what he was doing and how he was doing it. Every time he caught somebody looking, he would stop working. Some people would say they saw coral bedrock hoisted onto a crane. However, nobody saw how he actually got the rock there in the first place. Other people would claim they saw the rocks move by themselves, by magic. If anyone was to question Edward, he would say it was down to the moon and stars.

‘For My Sweet 16’

People would go up to Edward and ask him what is the castle for. His response would always be the same, ‘for my sweet 16’. He always hoped that one day she would return.

The castle was open to the public. Edward would charge 10 cents per visitor to tour the castle grounds.

Sadly, one day he got attacked at his castle in Florida City. At that point, he realised it was not safe to stay there anymore. So he decided to move to the whole castle. He hired a truck and took every piece of rock, moving it 10 miles to Homestead, where it is located today. He had one man to help him. However, that man was there just to drive the truck. He loaded every bit of coral rock all by himself, onto the van, and then offloaded it all by himself, in Homestead. The man who was driving the truck did not see him do this. He refused to do any of it in front of him. Edward did not want to give any of his secrets away. Why we do not know. Was he trying to protect us? He took a total of 3 years to move his entire castle.

He Didn’t Stop!

Once he rebuilt his castle in Homestead, he continued working on it, adding new bits to it. He didn’t stop working on it, until his death, in 1951.

In Homestead, he would charge visitors 25 cents. However, if they had no money, they would be allowed in free of charge. On the front gate there are signs carved into the rocks. It says to ring the bell twice. If the visitor rang the bell more than twice or just once, he would ignore them. He would say, ‘if they can’t read and do as they told, then they don’t deserve to come into my castle’.

‘It’s Not Difficult If You Know How!’

People would ask him how he made the castle, he would answer, ‘It’s not difficult if you know how’. Still to the current day, nobody knows how! Was it built the same way as the Pyramids? Was it to do with the magnetic field?

Edward called his castle, Rock Gate. However, since his death, the castle has been renamed to what we know it as today, Coral Castle. A castle made out of coral rock. The coral rock is that strong it has withstood the hurricanes that have passed through the city, of Homestead, over the years.

The Visit

You can buy your tickets in advance on their website: Coral Castle or purchase them on the day.

An adult ticket will cost you $18. Included in your ticket is a free 1 hour guided tour around the castle. The guided tour is fantastic! Even though I knew quite a bit about the history of my castle before I visited, the tour broadened my knowledge even further. The guide will take to you around each area of the castle and explain why Edward built what he did and what it was used for.

He built a bed for his sweet 16, along with some extra beds. Does this mean Edward wanted a family with Agnes?

He made a chair that can rock:

He could tell the time and what month it was by his very clever invention:

The castle entrance was a 9-tone, rotating door, which you could rotate yourself!

Unfortunately, the door does not work anymore.

A Place You Need To See For Yourself!

I do not want to give too much away here. It is something you need to experience for yourself. It is an incredible place; a place that nobody fully understands.

For more information about the visit, opening times, and location, please check out their website: Coral Castle.

Want to see what else there is to do in the area? Please check out some of my other blogs: Florida

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