| The life and times of Edward Leedskalnin have been | | | | he would later use in making the Coral Castle.During his |
| an interest of mine since the age of 11. He was the | | | | travels, Ed developed a case of tuberculosis. He then |
| creator of the Coral Castle which is in Homestead | | | | traveled from Texas to Florida in search of a better |
| Florida, a megalithic structure made of 1100 tons of | | | | climate to help him with his newly developed disease. |
| coral, a structure whose secrets have never been | | | | Ed arrived in Florida and began building the Coral |
| explained. | | | | Castle on land that he purchased for $12. After curing |
| Ed was also known for his research regarding | | | | himself of tuberculosis, Ed spent the next 20 to 30 |
| magnetism in pamphlets about magnetic currents | | | | years building this monument made of coral in |
| which depicted his theories and also discussed his | | | | dedication to his "Sweet Sixteen". |
| perpetual motion or perpetual energy device. | | | | At some point, Ed decided to move the Coral Castle |
| It is generally accepted that Edward Leedskalnin, who | | | | to Homestead, Florida, roughly 10 miles north of his |
| liked to be called Ed, was born in the year 1887 in the | | | | Florida City location, and renamed it "Rock Gate Park" |
| country of Latvia. At the age of 26, Ed was engaged | | | | after the 9-ton gate he installed after moving to this |
| to marry the girl of his dreams, Agnes Scuffs, who | | | | new location. |
| was 16 years old. | | | | Ed made his living by giving tours of the Coral Castle |
| On the day before the wedding, she told Ed that she | | | | and published several pamphlets on astronomical and |
| did not want to marry him for one of many reasons. It | | | | electromagnetic information, as well as created what |
| has been said that he was too old, too poor, or | | | | appears to be a perpetual energy device, before his |
| perhaps did not have enough education (Ed was said | | | | death. Ed died at the age of 64 of stomach cancer in |
| to have only had a fourth-grade education). | | | | December of 1951 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in |
| Due to his dreams being shattered by his "Sweet | | | | Miami. |
| Sixteen," Ed left Latvia, traveled to Canada, and then | | | | Unfortunately, it seems that all of the secrets that Ed |
| subsequently down into California and Texas. During | | | | possessed, including his ability to carve and move |
| this time, Ed is said to have worked in the lumber | | | | megalithic stones, and the secrets of his perpetual |
| industry and was part of at least one cattle drive in | | | | energy device, died with him over 50 years ago. Yet, |
| Texas. | | | | because of the Coral Castle, and his writings, the |
| These jobs were said to have given him the strength | | | | mystery of Edward Leedskalnin lives on today. |
| necessary to move the enormous blocks of coral that | | | | |