In the city of Homestead, Florida sits a strange stone structure created by eccentric Edward Leedskalnin. No one really knows why it was built or how, but considering each of the megalithic coral stones weigh more than most men could move alone, the emergence of the Coral Castle remains an impressive mystery.

Edward never allowed anyone to witness the building of Coral Castle. A suspicious and private man, he worked at night by lantern, behind large walls he constructed. Reports from neighbors claim he levitated the blocks, some weighing 30 tons, twice the weight of the largest blocks in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Teenagers living in the area claimed they saw him one night, “singing to the massive stone, and it moved like it was a hydrogen balloon, easily settling into place.” By his own account, Edward claimed, “I have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and have found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders of Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons.”

Coral Castle was moved to Homestead, Florida in 1936 by Edward, again on his own. According to one theory, Edward moved the castle because he had made a mathematical error in the position and wasn’t able to harness enough magnetic energy in the original site to complete the structure. These theorists believe he was successful in decoding the Earth’s magnetic energies, and thus was able to magnetize the stone making it possible for a lone person to lift and move tons of weight with only a tripod and pulleys.

The grounds of Coral Castle consist of 1,100 tons of stones found in the forms of walls, carvings, furniture and a castle tower. While commonly referred to as being made up of coral, it is actually made of oolite, also known as oolitic limestone. Oolite is a sedimentary rock composed of small spherical grains of concentrically layered carbonate that may include localized concentrations of fossil shells and coral. Oolite is found throughout southeastern Florida from as north as Palm Beach County to as south as the Florida Keys. Oolite is often found beneath only several inches of topsoil such as at the Coral Castle site.

The stones are fastened together without any mortar. They are simply set on top of each other using their immense weight to keep them together. However, the craftsmanship detail is so skillful that the stones are connected with such precision that no light passes between the seams. The eight foot tall vertical stones that make up the perimeter wall have a uniform height. Even with the passage of decades and a direct hit on August 24, 1992 by the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew, which leveled everything in the area, the stones have not shifted.

Originally posted by AshleyD
The story reminds me of this older man who showed how moving Stonehenge-sized stones single handedly using simple tools is possible and not terribly difficult. Sorry to kill any mystery but mundane means are not impossible. lol Impressive for sure, though.

YouTube Link

[edit on 11/14/2008 by AshleyD]