{"id":1111,"date":"2012-10-23T11:38:18","date_gmt":"2012-10-23T15:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=1111"},"modified":"2012-10-23T11:54:21","modified_gmt":"2012-10-23T15:54:21","slug":"unusual-and-unique-homesteads-coral-castle-often-surprises-visitors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=1111","title":{"rendered":"Unusual and unique, Coral Castle often surprises South Miami-Dade visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted Oct. 23, 2012<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By LAURIE CHARLES<\/p>\n

HOMESTEAD, Fla.\u2014A table built from coral rock in the shape of the state of Florida, a dual-chambered well, and a sun dial are not typical features one would expect to see at an outdoor living space.<\/p>\n

Yet the unexpected and unusual is the sort of thing for which Coral Castle is known. Located on U.S.1 north of Homestead, the 1,100-ton coral rock castle, which is said to have been built single-handedly by one man, has been leaving visitors in awe for the past 60 years.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A wide view of Coral Castle which has been compared very closely to the modern-day Stonehenge (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

Coral Castle was constructed by Edward Leedskalnin, a five-foot, 120-pound man from Latvia with a fourth grade education.<\/p>\n

It has been said that Leedskalnin built the castle on his own with the help of simple tools including metal falls, wedges, cable sledges and chisels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coral was quarried from the ground, but we don\u2019t know how he did [constructed] it,\u201d said Debbie Ramirez, a tour guide at Coral Castle. \u201cIt\u2019s like the modern-day Stonehenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story behind Coral Castle is one of love. Completed in 1941, the castle is said to be a tribute to Leedskalnin\u2019s love, Agnes Scuffs, whom he referred to as his \u201cSweet Sixteen\u201d because she was 16 and 10 years younger than him at the time they met.<\/p>\n

The day before Leedskalnin and his \u201cSweet Sixteen\u201d planned on getting married, Scuffs called the wedding off. It was then that Leedskalnin left Latvia. He lived in Canada, California, and Texas for some time, but ended up in Florida in 1918.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe left as the result of a broken heart,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201cHe came [to the U.S.] to begin a new life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before its current name, the castle was known as Rock Gate Park. Leedskalnin had begun construction in Florida City in 1923, about 10 miles south of its current location.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The planets carved by Ed. Starting from the left corner is Mars, Saturn and the moon crescent Ed called the “Crescent of the East” (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

After hearing of a 10-acre property for sale, he moved to Homestead in 1936 and brought the stone pieces along with him. It is said to have taken Leedskalnin three years to move the coral.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe incorporated those pieces over here,\u201d said Ramirez.<\/p>\n

Construction at its current location began in 1936 and was opened to the public as a museum in 1941. However, no one ever really saw the construction of the castle.<\/p>\n

\u201cEd was a very private man and would usually work at night,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201cYou also have to remember that at the time, this was the middle of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

As guests enter the castle, they are greeted by the Three Ton Gate, a 6,000-pound rock balanced on the axle of a Model T Ford that can be easily spun by visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved it! I can\u2019t believe I moved it!\u201d said six-year-old Leo Durango, who was visiting Coral Castle from Chicago with his aunt, Meloney Hill.<\/p>\n

Further into the castle are the reading chairs. There are three different chairs: the morning, afternoon and evening chair.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The 20-foot long Florida table is carved in the shape and proportion of the state and is surrounded by 10 chairs. The chair at the head of the table represents the governor and the rest represent the senators and state representatives (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe chairs were placed based on the position of the sun throughout the day,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201cHe wanted the sun to shine on his reading material.\u201d<\/p>\n

The castle features other stone carvings including the Heart Table, also referred to as the Feast of Love, which weighs more than 5,000 pounds and was featured on Ripley\u2019s Believe It or Not<\/em> as the world\u2019s heaviest valentine.<\/p>\n

Other features include the Florida Table, which was carved in the exact shape and in direct proportion to the actual state of Florida. Leedskalnin engraved Lake Okeechobee on the table which he claimed served as a bird bath.<\/p>\n

Leedskalnin also built a dual-chambered well which maintains a water temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit year round. The water comes from an aquifer and the coral itself purifies it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of its cool temperature, it is believed Ed used the well as a refrigerator to store his food,\u201d said Ramirez.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Polaris Telescope stands 25-feet tall and weighs almost 30 tons. On any clear night, on-lookers can spot the north star (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

Ramirez said that one of the castle\u2019s main features is the Polaris Telescope which stands 25 feet tall.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn any clear night, you can see the north star,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201c[But] the single, most fascinating thing to me by far is the sun dial.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is said that Leedskalnin used the sun dial as a time piece and calendar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sun dial is numbered from 9 a.m. \u2013 4 p.m. because Ed believed those were the hours man should work,\u201d said Ramirez.<\/p>\n

Leedskalnin carved several loops into the coral; the numbered loops mark an hour and the unnumbered loops represent a half hour.<\/p>\n

However, the time indicated on the sun dial is always Standard Time because Daylight Savings Time had not yet been established. So depending on the time of year, the time must be adjusted.<\/p>\n

\u201cEd was so in-tuned with nature,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201cThat internal radar we\u2019re equipped with, he knew how to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Polaris Telescope stands 25-feet tall and weighs almost 30 tons. On any clear night, on-lookers can spot the north star (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

Yet Leedskalnin\u2019s monument to the castle is the obelisk. The monumental piece stands 40 feet tall, weighs about 57,000 pounds, and rests on a six-foot deep hole.<\/p>\n

The obelisk was one of the monuments he had constructed while living in Florida City.<\/p>\n

At the top of the obelisk, Leedskalnin carved the year it was made, the year it was moved, the year and country of his birth, and his initials. That information is possibly the only documented data of the castle\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n

The mystery of the castle is that Leedskalnin never revealed how he constructed it. Ramirez said that the only written records he left were several booklets he wrote on the things he studied and believed in, but no blueprints or journals.<\/p>\n

When asked about his work, Ramirez said that Leedskalnin would respond that he knew the secret to the pyramids.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would probably always be theory,\u201d said Ramirez in regards to Leedskalnin\u2019s techniques.<\/p>\n

However, Ramirez said that the 1920 U.S. Census recorded Leedskalnin as an axe handle manufacturer. Ramirez also said that Leedskalnin\u2019s father and grandfather were stone masons.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Obelisk was Ed’s monument to Coral Castle (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt [craftsmanship] was a gift they all possessed,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201cHe [Leedskalnin] took it to another level in what he exhibited here. His lost love was a catalyst, but this was his passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, a lack of documented evidence on the castle\u2019s construction has led to many myths and skepticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of skeptics,\u201d said Ramirez. \u201cBut if machinery would have been used, there would have been blemishes in the coral because it is very porous. Resistance would have shown.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Leedskalnin died in 1951, the castle was left to his nephew. However, Ramirez said that his nephew shortly abandoned the castle.<\/p>\n

The state then sold the castle at a public auction as back taxes, which was purchased by a private corporation known as Coral Castle and is still run by it today.<\/p>\n

In 1984, Coral Castle was placed in the National Register of Historical Places in which Ramirez said the castle is protected as a historical landmark.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>

View of Coral Castle’s “living room” (Photo by Laurie Charles).<\/p><\/div>\n

The castle attracts thousands of tourists every year.<\/p>\n

It was Hill\u2019s first time visiting Coral Castle. She said that she was fascinated and amazed by its story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was totally surprised,\u201d said Hill. \u201cI\u2019m into history and have always wanted to visit, but I really did not expect this. This is insane. He clearly had devotion and dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

The love story behind Coral Castle took on a greater meaning for Kentucky residents, Andrew Groves and Tiffany Bacon.<\/p>\n

Both teachers, the couple came down to Florida during their fall break to visit Coral Castle, where Groves proposed to Bacon next to the Heart Table.<\/p>\n

Before Groves made his proposal, Bacon said he handed her a wedding scrapbook with labels stating \u201cFood,\u201d \u201cPhotos,\u201d and \u201cGuests.\u201d At the end of the scrapbook was the label, \u201cBut first you need a ring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when he proposed,\u201d said Bacon as she smiled at her fianc\u00e9 and admired her diamond engagement ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoral Castle meant a lot to us when we first started dating,\u201d said Groves. \u201cWe always wanted to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coral Castle<\/span><\/p>\n

Address: 28655 S. Dixie Hwy., Homestead, Fla., 33033; phone: 305-248-6345; website: http:\/\/coralcastle.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hours: <\/strong>Sundays \u2013 Thursdays: 8 a.m. \u2013 6 p.m.; Fridays \u2013 Saturdays: 8 a.m. \u2013 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Admission: <\/strong>Adults (ages 13 \u2013 64) $15; Seniors (ages 65+) $12; Children (ages 7 \u2013 12) $7; Children (under 7) Free.<\/p>\n

Features<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a gift shop on premises as well as a snack bar and vending machines. The snack bar usually closes at 6 p.m., but guests are welcomed to bring their own food and enjoy their meal on one of the tables surrounding the castle.<\/p>\n

Directions
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From the North:<\/p>\n