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Summary
Coral Castle: The Mysery of Ed Leedskalnin and his American Stonehenge is the first book to take an objective, journalistic look at
one of America’s most intriguing places — Coral Castle, located in
Homestead, Florida, thirty miles southwest of Miami. It was built
in the 1920s and ’30s by an eccentric Latvian immigrant named
Edward Leedskalnin.
He worked alone with primitive tools. He
quarried, carved, and set in place more than 1,100 tons of coral rock,
creating what is commonly known as the American Stonehenge.
How he accomplished this amazing feat remains a mystery. Some
believe he was simply a talented stonemason and engineer. Many
others believe he had somehow harnessed anti-gravity powers, which
allowed him to lift and move the stones as if by magic. Several books
have been written on Ed’s other-worldly powers, and he has become
a cult figure to those who believe in extra-terrestrials and in the
magnetic grid theory. Skeptics have argued against these theories
in magazine articles and on websites.
In Coral Castle, Rusty McClure and Jack Heffron survey the
theories and interview experts on all sides of the argument,
bringing this fascinating tale to a mass audience for the first time.
Watch The History Channel's Ancient Aliens segment on Coral Castle, featuring Rusty McClure (click here).
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Overview
A National Treasure. A tour of Coral Castle as it stands today. Descriptions of the key
elements, from the rock gate to the thirty-ton monolith. The groundwork for the story and
the mystery behind the building of the castle is put in place.
Heartbreak in Latvia. The birth (in 1887) and early life of Ed Leedskalnin. A survey of
turn-of the-century Latvia and the capital city of Riga with a focus on the political turmoil
with the Russian czar — and Ed’s involvement in that turmoil. His meeting Agnes Scuffs,
their relationship and engagement, and her decision to leave him at the altar. Also, Ed’s work
with his grandfather as a stonemason, where he learned the skills used to create Coral Castle.
Wandering America. Ed leaves for America, works in the logging industry in Washington,
California, and Canada. Contracts tuberculosis. Moves to Florida during the 1920s Florida
land boom, during which he apparently heals himself of TB. Buys a parcel of land for twelve
dollars and begins to build a monument to his lost love, his “Sweet Sixteen.”
Rock Gate. From 1920 to 1936, Ed slowly builds his strange and mystifying castle, which
he calls Rock Gate Park, in Florida City. Neighbors witness the evolution of the castle but
are unable to watch him working on it. Rumors develop and spread about the eccentric Ed.
In 1936, for reasons that aren’t clear, Ed decides to move the entire structure to Homestead,
ten miles away.
At Home in Homestead. Ed applies for a patent on the device he used to move the huge
rocks. Some speculate that it harnessed anti-gravity powers. He writes a number of small
books and pamphlets on his theories of magnetism as well as on his broader philosophies
of life. In 1951 he takes a bus to Jackson Hospital in Miami where he dies three days later.
Official cause of death is malnutrition.
Coral Castle. After Ed’s death, his nephew and family take over the castle, which Ed
always called Rock Gate Park. It becomes known as Coral Castle and changes ownership a
few times, becomes a well-known tourist attraction and is open to this day. It is studied by
engineers and scientists who cannot agree on how — and, in some cases, why — it was built.
In 1986, the famous rock gate is repaired, though a 5-man crew is unable to reset the gate as
precisely as Ed did it himself.
Anti-Gravity, Magnetic Grids, and UFOs. A number of books, articles, television
shows, and Web sites have examined Ed and Coral Castle, presenting theories that range
wildly. Some state that Ed learned the secrets of defying gravity. Some say he learned them
from alien beings or from an earlier incarnation in Atlantis. Interviews with proponents of
these theories.
Sound Engineering. Here we look at the skeptics who believe Ed was simply a talented
stonemason who knew the basics of leverage and built his castle with that knowledge. Experts
weigh in, including a man in Flint, Michigan, who is now building his own Stonehenge.
Epilogue. Our goal is not to settle the argument of how Ed built Coral Castle so much as
to present the known facts and the various theories in a dispassionate, objective way.
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Authors
Rusty McClure, is one of the New York Times best-selling
authors of Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire that
Transformed The Nation and Cincinnatus: The Secret Plot To Save
America, a novel that features Coral Castle. He has a Master
of Divinity degree from Emory University and a Harvard
MBA. An advisor and investor in numerous entrepreneurial
projects, Rusty teaches the entrepreneurial course at Ohio
Wesleyan University. He resides with his wife and daughters in
Dublin, Ohio.
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Jack Heffron, has written several books of instruction
for writers as well as numerous articles for magazines,
primarily on travel, sports, and popular culture. His work has
been noted in Best American Travel Writing and has won awards
from the Society of Professional Journalists and Authors.
His column in Cincinnati magazine recently was chosen as the
best in Ohio by the Cleveland Press Club. His short stories
have appeared in many literary magazines and twice have
been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He has taught at
writers’ conferences throughout the country and lives in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
