
The Mysterious Coral Castle
Posted: 01.31.2025 | Updated: 01.31.2025
Many of the world’s great mysteries lie outside the United States: Stonehenge, the Egyptian Pyramids, and the Easter Island heads. Yet, that doesn’t mean that the U.S. doesn’t have a few of its own truly unexplainable entities. One of the most famous has to be Coral Castle outside of Miami, Florida.
If you’re interested in seeing the odd, bizarre, and often creepy elements that hide in the shadows of Miami’s past, book a ghost tour with Miami Haunts.
Is Coral Castle Haunted?

Staff and paranormal investigators have confirmed that they’ve heard or spotted Coral Castle’s creator, Edward Leedskalnin, still residing in his one-of-a-kind estate. As Leedskalnin and his years-long, seemingly impossible construction process are an enigma in itself, it’s not all that surprising that his spirit hasn’t wanted to move on.
Who Was Edward Leedskalnin?
Edward Leedskalnin was born in Latvia in 1887. There are several stories that have been passed around about his younger years. One says that he was left at the altar when he was 26 — betrothed to a 16-year-old girl who refused to marry him.
He grew up on his family’s farm, going to school until the fourth grade when he began working full-time on the farm. Yet, Edwards’ slight size, 5 feet tall and weighing about 130 pounds, may have slowed him down. When he got older, Leedskalnin trained as a stonemason.
It seems Leedskalnin may have also been active in politics. His brother, Otto, was a member of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers’ Party and was arrested during an uprising in 1905. Otto’s son believes Edward was also a member of the party, though this hasn’t been proven.
In 1912, Leedskalnin left Latvia and emigrated to the United States. While he first lived in New Jersey with his cousin, Leedskalnin soon hopped around the country. He lived in the Pacific Northwest for a spell, which is reportedly where he caught the illness that would plague him for the rest of his life.
It was a respiratory illness, which many believe was tuberculosis. Leedskalnin then moved to a few more states before finding himself in Florida. He was found on the side of the road by Robert Moser, the founder of Florida City. Moser and his wife and daughter looked after Leedskalnin, slowly nursing him back to health.
It’s believed the warm air of Florida helped Leedskalnin’s lungs heal. However, despite surviving the endeavor, he was a frail man for the rest of his days. This fact made his life’s work even more unbelievable.
Edward Leedskalnin’s Dream: The Coral Castle
Leedskalnin never married or had a family, and it seems every waking moment for 28 years was occupied by one thing: sculpting limestone.
Leedskalnin found a plot in Florida City and started sculpting the rock that lay beneath the soil on his land. Leedskalnin became quite secretive about his project: building a large wall around his property so no one could see what he was doing. Even then, did he know he was onto something spectacular? Or did he not want others to see his otherworldly help?
This all begs the question: what’s so special about the Coral Castle anyway? Several things, in fact, make it awe-inspiring.
The Size and Weight of the Stone
When you add up the weight of all the stones that Leedskalnin sculpted, chiseled, and — most importantly — moved, it totals 2.2 million pounds. That’s 1,110 tons.
It’s not like these are a bunch of small pieces of limestone of manageable weight stacked on top of each other, either. The group included a 9-ton gate, multiple walls weighing upwards of 6 tons, and a 28-ton obelisk.
This project would be remarkable by modern-day standards with a team of engineers. In fact, some construction crews have tried to replicate what Leedskalnin singlehandedly accomplished in his backyard. The crew tried to slice a coral rock slab with a diamond-tipped power saw and lift it with a 600-horsepower crane. Even they struggled with the process.
So how did a chronically ill man measuring 5 feet manage to create this work of art? That’s the million-dollar question.
No One Ever Saw Leedskalnin Working
Despite his construction project drawing quite a bit of attention, Leedskalnin managed to keep his working habits a secret throughout the multi-decade project. It’s said that one night, he pulled up to a quarry to load several tons of coral into his truck.
The foreman laughed him off, but Leedskalnin simply asked him to turn his back. Not long after, the foreman glanced out and saw that Leedskalnin’s truck was full of the stone.
Leedskalnin claimed that he was able to accomplish such superhuman feats by applying the building techniques of ancient civilizations, which he closely studied in his downtime. Leedskalnin was also self-taught in physics, which he said aided him in his building.
But what’s perhaps most unbelievable is that Leedskalnin didn’t just do this once. He built his rock empire — then moved it 10 miles away.
Leedskalnin thought Florida City was getting too crowded, so he decided to move his masterpiece north. It took him three years, but again, no one saw him move the giant stones.
Extraterrestrial Intervention?

Many are in the camp that Leedskalnin could physically not have done this on his own. They believe he had the help of the alien variety, who used their superior technology to move the rocks efficiently and quickly.
Leedskalnin seemed to enjoy being a local mystery and refused to share or show anyone how he built his stone palace during his lifetime, though he did invite people to walk around his estate for a small fee.
Does Leedskalnin Haunt the Coral Castle?
Many believe that Leedskalnin never left the place he dedicated many years to creating. Paranormal investigators set up shop in the two-story stone building where Leedskalnin lived for 11 years after completing his castle (without electricity or water).
Here, they’ve captured strange electromagnetic fluctuations and recorded a voice speaking back to them when they ask Leedskalnin questions.
There are other strange entities said to be present at the Coral Castle. Near the 30-ton, lensless telescope pointed at the North Star, people say they feel a strong energy. On the whole site, in fact, people can experience an energy they can’t quite explain.
Some say this could be attributed to energy “vortexes” at play around the castle. They believe Leedskalnin found a very particular place to build where he could make the most of the magnetic forces of the Earth and use it to his benefit for moving these giant objects.
But was Leedskalnin so lucky to stumble upon these vortexes not just once but twice?
Haunted Miami
Coral Castle is situated in a part of the United States that is well-known for strange phenomena. Much of this can be found in the nearby city of Miami.
While Miami is often a destination for those wanting to enjoy dancing and good drinks, it also draws people who want to see places from dark moments in history, like the mansion where Gianni Versace took his last breath.
If you want to take a break from the sun and see the more cryptic side of Miami, book a ghost tour with Miami Haunts tonight.
Curious about other enigmas around the United States? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more mysterious and unbelievable sites. To learn about other places in Miami with spectral and extraterrestrial connections, check out our blog.
Sources:
- https://bittersoutherner.com/coral-castle-a-haunting-monument-to-love-or-aliens-or-limestone-coral-castle
- https://miamihaunts.com/
- https://www.visitflorida.com/travel-ideas/articles/homesteads-coral-castle-monument-by-edward-leedskalnin/
- https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/coral-castle-haunted-series_miami/2049695/
- https://www.wired.com/2003/12/secret-energy-haunts-coral-castle/
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