There are many strange and inexplicable phenomena in this world, but one of the mysteries I have come in contact with is the legend of the Coral Castle, a U.S. national historic site located in Homestead, Florida. It’s a structure with various areas or “rooms” built almost entirely from coral retrieved from Miami, where the castle was originally based, and Homestead, where it was moved by its builder.
The man who dedicated over half his life to this project is Latvian Edvards Liedskalniņš or Ed. He, at only 5ft tall, claims to have built the castle, which is comprised of blocks of coral some up to 30-40 tons in weight, all on his own, without the help of people or machinery.
Many conspiracy theories surround this man, ranging from his having unlocked the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids and being helped by aliens to himself being an alien. The motivation for why he began such a time-consuming project was supposedly in honour of his “sweet sixteen”, as he called her, a girl, Agnese, who lived in his home country of Latvia. Apparently she rejected his marriage proposal and he went on to wallow in self-pity for the rest of his life, channeling most of his energy into building the castle. Some sources say he was delusional, and that, in fact, no relationship between himself and Agnese had taken place; that she was actually the wife of his brother. Either way, it seems that she was his main motivation in constructing the fortress.
Many parts of the castle are designated to aspects of his imagined future with Agnese. There’s a sitting room with rocking chairs and thrones, and a bedroom, with separate beds for Ed, Agnese and their child. Surprisingly, Ed even lived at this place. He did not sleep on the coral, but in a tower on the edge of the premises. The castle was equipped with a well for drinking water, bathtub and even a cooker that he would use to cook hotdogs and sell them to visitors for 2 cents. Ed managed to make a business off of the attraction, allowing people to enter and tour around for 10 cents a ticket.
He was, however, very strict with closing hours. Everyone had to leave by 5 o’clock sharp, so that Ed could continue construction in solitude and under the cover of the dark Floridian night. Nobody knows exactly how he was able to lift the slabs on his own. Children who sneaked to try and catch a glimpse said it seemed like he was singing to the rock. Some speculate that this “singing” could be attributed to research Ed was doing into magnetic fields and electrostatic energy, and that perhaps the sound came from that. He had a shed beneath his sleeping area with a variety of tools, including a fairly advanced radio, especially considering the time period.
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Even Billy Idol, punk rock icon of the 20th century, found his story inspiring. One of his most popular songs “Sweet Sixteen” was written about Ed and his story, making reference to a “candy castle” that “someone built for [his] sweet sixteen”. In the video he is even pictured on one of the coral castle’s many rocking chairs.
Despite the efforts of many researchers, including students from the university of Florida, this legend may remain a mystery for a while more to come. Had Ed revealed the secret behind his castle-building to the world, who’s to say whether it was all a very intricate hoax or a level of technology not yet used even in today’s world. Either way, sometimes it’s comforting to realize there’s still some magic around us during a time that seems all too understood.