There’s a skeptic for every theory about how Ed Leedskalnin built Coral Castle.

If we’re to believe some of the theories on the Internet, Ed was an alien from outer space, he knew the secret to anti-gravity and he levitated the stone blocks into place with his mind. While these theories are entertaining, all of them lack significant proof.

Curiosity keeps us speculating, but skepticism keeps us rational. 

While the skeptic in me wants answers, part of me is happy Coral Castle remains a mystery. Many spirited debates and serious conversations never would have occurred if Ed had revealed his secrets.

If Ed were alive today I doubt he could be convinced to reveal the secret of Coral Castle. Instead, I imagine he’d leave the skeptics and the conspiracy theorists to their debates, getting a good chuckle out of both sides.

Ed Leedskalnin, by all accounts, was a friendly man. He allowed visitors into Coral Castle so they could enjoy his masterpiece. He made friends with some of his neighbors, and he was missed after he died.

For all this openness, Ed also valued secrecy.

In Latvia, Ed grew up close to the castles of German barons. His life, and the lives of his friends and family, were dictated by the whims of the wealthy. Ed grew up in a time and place where his class of people had little control over the course of their lives.

After moving to Homestead, Florida, Ed built his own castle. He curated and engineered his property to be an impenetrable fortress (when he wanted it to be). Although Ed claimed to have unlocked the secrets of magnetic currents, he chose to take those secrets to the grave.

Rather than choosing to pursue wealth, I think Ed gained personal  satisfaction from holding onto his secrets. After growing up in a world where most power was held by the rich, I like to think Ed died with the satisfaction of knowing he would be respected, long after he was gone.

As I was doing research for Coral Castle, I discovered Ed Leedskalnin had started conversations far beyond Homestead, Florida.

There were websites and forums dedicated to speculation about how Ed could have moved those massive rocks. Engineers, mystics and everyone in-between had an opinion on how Ed built Coral Castle. The more I researched, the more theories I heard, but few people were willing to get their hands dirty. Even those who were the most convinced they were right, didn’t have the inclination to prove it.

Wally Wallington of Flint, Michigan did. A retired carpenter, Wallington had an idea about how Stonehenge could have been erected, but he didn’t stop there. After experimenting with heavy stones, Wallington found that moving huge rocks depends on finding their center of gravity and applying basic laws of leverage.

Watch Wallington’s method in action here.

These backyard feats of engineering could be some of the same method’s Ed used to build Coral Castle. Regardless, Wallington proved more than anyone arguing in an Internet forum.

Speculation is easy. Moving tons of rock is not.