Episode 354 - Mystery of Coral Castle

Summary

Podcast Summary: Two Girls One Ghost

Episode 354: Mystery of Coral Castle

Release Date: January 4, 2026
Hosts: Corinne Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Corinne and Sabrina delve into the enigmatic story of Coral Castle—an engineering marvel in Florida built single-handedly by Edward Leedskalnin. Blending heartbreak, supposed ancient knowledge, and all the deliciously weird energy Florida is famous for, the hosts explore how this slight, reclusive man managed to move and sculpt multi-ton stones—while refusing to reveal his methods. The episode weaves in skepticism, supernatural speculation, personal reflections, and a classic listener ghost story.

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Main Themes and Structure

• Modern and ancient mysteries: How did one man accomplish what teams of ancient workers, or even modern engineers, struggle to replicate?
• The blurred line between genius engineering, supernatural explanations, and urban legend.
• Heartbreak as creative fuel: Edward’s unrequited love and isolation shaped his life’s work.
• The enduring, unsolved puzzle and its parallels to other mysterious sites worldwide.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Thoughts and Banter

• The hosts joke about their ages ("Hey, Happy New Year...we were born in the 1900s!" [06:16]) and discuss how centuries pass but some mysteries remain (reflections on the 1900s vs. 1700s).
• Sabrina is in a skeptical mood, while Corinne teases her belief in conspiracies (04:31-05:45).

2. Introduction to Coral Castle—A Florida Marvel

• Corinne introduces the episode’s focus: “Florida man uses Ancient Egyptian Magic to Build castle” (06:39).
• Coral Castle is made of over 1,100 tons of oolitic limestone, with blocks heavier than cars, elephants, or even whales (07:14-08:48).
• Edward Leedskalnin built it alone, working only at night, claiming to know the secrets of the pyramids (07:15–08:10).

3. Edward’s Background—Heartbreak, Obsession, and Mystery

• Edward was a 5-foot, 100-pound Latvian immigrant; engaged at 26 to a 16-year-old "sweet 16" Agnes, who broke off the wedding a day before the ceremony. This heartbreak became his lifelong motivator (11:01–14:01).
• After wandering North America, Edward moved to Florida, was “terminally” diagnosed with tuberculosis, but claimed magnetism healed him and allowed him to live 33 more years (15:01).

4. The Building Process—Methods, Skepticism, and Secrecy

• For 28 years, Edward quietly constructed the castle, moving and carving stones weighing up to 30+ tons (16:42–18:50).
• He only worked at night—no one saw him building. Neighbors heard nothing; stones “appeared” overnight (16:57–17:21).
• Sabrina probes: “People go to sleep...do they wake up and there’s like one more stone there, or are there 10 more stones placed there?” [18:50]
• Theories range from pulleys, scrap car parts, and tripods (seen by spying kids), to hidden magical or scientific knowledge (31:41–32:26).

5. Theories and Attempts at Explanation

• Edward left behind notes, but they’re cryptic: “All matter is made of individual magnets. Gravity is a push, not a pull. Earth's magnetic flow drives physical movement.” [37:01]
• Coral Castle's magnetic anomalies baffle scientists; compasses and watches behave erratically on-site (44:53).
• Engineers can't replicate his methods. When they dismantled the castle’s famous 9-ton gate, they couldn't match his precision even with modern tools (27:28).

6. Paranormal and Supernatural Explanations

• Local children and adults reported seeing Ed levitate stones or move them without effort (30:44).
• Rumors spread about “tuning forks, frequencies, and humming vibrations” creating anti-gravity or resonance effects—tied to legends of monks or ancient Egyptians using sound to levitate stone (52:53–54:33).
• Edward’s self-reported inspiration came from both heartbreak and his supposed knowledge of “magnetic and electric phenomena.”

7. Coral Castle as Art and Tourist Monument

• Edward lived onsite, allowed tours, and often cryptically told people: "It's not difficult if you know how," but never revealed details (44:50).
• He built furniture—stone rocking chairs, a heart-shaped table, telescope, sundial, bathtub—infusing the site with intention and mystery (34:01–34:52).

8. Ed’s Later Years and Legacy

• In 1951, Ed posted "going to the hospital" on the gate; he died soon after. Many journals went missing, and no complete instructions have been found (48:10–49:34).
• The remaining “flywheel” and magnetic devices haven’t yielded his secret—whether for lifting or as a perpetual-motion generator (50:00–51:08).

Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

• About the enigma:
  “The question isn’t, did he use magic and aliens to do this? The question is, how did he do it?” – Corinne [33:10]
• On heartbreak as fuel:
  “He was totally heartbroken… this was the pivotal moment for Edward… He basically became obsessed with proving his self-worth.” – Corinne [13:50]
• On visiting the castle:
  “Some visitors reported that their compasses would spin and watches would act really strangely. So it's like there was some strange magnetic anomaly.” – Corinne [44:53]
• About his secrecy:
  “He would always respond... ‘It’s not difficult if you know how,’ and he would leave it at that.” – Corinne [44:50]
  “He did a really good job of living an air of mystique.” – Sabrina [35:36]

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Listener Story Segment ([57:29])

• Listener Kat shares bite-sized Florida paranormal encounters:

  • Seeing the Skunk Ape in the Everglades
  • Befriending a ghost girl at the St. Augustine lighthouse as a child
  • A chilling moment in Bartow’s Wonder House

• Notable quote:
  “[My mom] is so like, oh yeah, you just saw the paranormal, right? It is what it is.” – Corinne [62:11]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with timestamps)

• “The world was gonna end...But lately on TikTok, there's all these kids with prophecies. And for some reason… when a five year old says a tsunami is coming for me, I'm believing it.” – Corinne, [04:31]
• “I don't know what is wrong with me today. I'm just so skeptical.” – Sabrina, [10:22]
• “If he really, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, like, if he really did do this all on his own, why gatekeep it?” – Sabrina, [25:45]
• “Show us your muscle... Don’t just make it more riddles...” – Corinne, [33:57]
• “He’s like a magician.” – Sabrina, [50:57]
• “Coral Castle is proof that we often underestimate human ingenuity... Or maybe, just maybe, he was unlocking some ancient knowledge...” – Corinne, [54:42]

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Important Timestamps

• 06:39 – Introduction of the Coral Castle mystery and Edward Leedskalnin.
• 15:28 – Ed’s bout with tuberculosis; his belief in healing through magnetism.
• 16:42 – 28 years of secretive nocturnal construction; arrival of the Coral Castle mystery.
• 24:19 – Description of the castle’s massive, seamless walls; fascination with astronomy.
• 27:28 – Engineers failing to deconstruct/recreate Coral Castle's mechanisms.
• 30:44 – Eyewitness accounts of Ed levitating stones.
• 37:01 – Ed’s cryptic magnetic and gravitational philosophies.
• 44:53 – Reports of magnetic anomalies experienced by visitors.
• 48:10 – Ed’s death, disappearance of journals, and the unresolved legacy.
• 52:53 – Theories of sound/frequency levitation (paranormal possibilities).
• 57:29 – Listener story: Kat’s Florida paranormal tales.

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Tone and Style Observations

• Playful, skeptical, and full of banter (“Show us your muscle!”).
• Willing to entertain the paranormal and “woo” theories, but constantly pushes for evidence.
• Deep emphasis on how heartbreak, loneliness, and an obsessive quest for meaning can inspire mystery—and perhaps, genius.

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Conclusion

Corinne and Sabrina leave listeners with as many questions as answers—insisting physical proof is needed before buying conventional explanations, while delighting in the possibility of magical, ancient, or just deeply weird human ingenuity. They encourage listeners to send in their own evidence, ideas, or stories, and close on a warm and affirming note about self-worth, curiosity, and, of course, the joys of the unexplained.

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“Coral Castle sits a beautiful structure of perfectly executed limestone architecture which amplifies sound, manipulates magnetic fields, creates a beautiful hum and just befuddles everyone who ever enters it.” – Corinne [55:10]

Contact for stories: 2girls1gospodcastmail.com

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Listen if you enjoy:

• Paranormal mysteries
• Engineering enigmas
• Playful but thoughtful skepticism
• Listener-submitted ghost stories

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Transcript

[Sabrina]

Your home is a reflection of you, and you deserve furniture that celebrates exactly that.

[Corinne]

Which is why Corinne and I love Cozy. Cozy furniture is designed to fit any living space and style because it's customized.

[Sabrina]

By you and they have functional features.

[Corinne]

That really do make a difference. So cozy isn't just about looking good, but feeling good about it, too. And I have my eye on this one sofa that has storage, and I'm like, oh, I have to get this for the playroom. I have to get this for my basement.

Oh, my gosh, yes, the atmosphere sofa.

[Sabrina]

I have been looking at that too.

[Corinne]

Also, they have washable fabrics, such as saying that for people with kids and dogs.

[Sabrina]

I mean, cozy has it all.

[Corinne]

From sofas and shelves to rugs, tables, and dining sets, everything is modular and designed to fit your space, taste, and life. I just moved into an apartment and I have so many books I don't know what to do with.

[Sabrina]

But Cozy has my solutions.

[Corinne]

They have so many different shelving options and ways that I can simultaneously organize and also decorate my home with my books.

Transform your living space today with cozy. Visit cozy.com c o z e y.com, the home of possibilities made easy.

[Sabrina]

This year, I am all about keeping better track of my finances and staying organized, which is why I'm so grateful for Rocket Money.

[Corinne]

Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. And that itself certainly does, because absolutely not only you were the first person to sign up for Rocket Money, and then I did after. And then I started telling everyone in my family to do it. Because truly, there are subscriptions and things that you pay for that you're just, like, not even thinking about. And then to see it actually written out like that, you're like, oh my God, I don't need half of this.

[Sabrina]

Right? And it's amazing because you can set budgets and their dashboard is so clear and easy to see. You get personalized insights. You can also set, like, budget goals and then have Rocket Money send you emails to let you know how on track track you are.

[Corinne]

Let Rocket Money help you reach your finance goals faster. [e-mail] TGOG that's RocketMoney.com TGOG RocketMoney.com TGOG.

[Sabrina]

Very spooky. How do?

[Corinne]

Who? Oh, hi. How do? Howdy.

[Sabrina]

It's 2026 and we went weird. Something a screw got loose and you just have to deal with it.

[Corinne]

I'm wearing the sweatshirt that one of our listeners has a brand.

[Sabrina]

Living Luna Creations.

[Corinne]

And I love this sweatshirt, but what is it? Says something on the back about being weird.

[Sabrina]

Um, something about like.

[Corinne]

Like letting the weird people out or something.

[Sabrina]

Can you read it? The moon made me do it. But then we have T shirts that I think say something about, oh, being weird.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Shout out to Olivia to look up who we're actually gonna work with to create some tgog merch.

[Corinne]

Oh, yeah.

[Sabrina]

Hell yeah.

[Corinne]

Hell yeah. Speaking of, this is Two girls, one ghost. Two girls, one ghost.

[Sabrina]

What if we just switched it up and this year I introduced and you whispered.

[Corinne]

Oh, I thought you meant, like, we.

[Sabrina]

Have a different podcast name or a different name.

[Corinne]

I don't like that.

[Sabrina]

Okay, we won't do it. I'm Sabrina. That's correct.

[Corinne]

One thing to be consistent. Sure, we can stay.

[Sabrina]

I am so scared to take a sip of my coffee.

[Corinne]

Why?

[Sabrina]

I forgot to ask for alternative milk.

[Corinne]

I said you just have whole milk.

[Sabrina]

Have not had whole milk in maybe five years. Who knows what will happen? Stay tuned.

[Corinne]

The joys of milk.

[Sabrina]

Hey, Happy New Year, everyone. Happy New Year.

[Corinne]

How was your first.

[Sabrina]

How was your first day of life? Because, you know, when the clock hits midnight on January 1st, everything just restarts. We're brand new birthing out of the womb.

[Corinne]

Well, you know what's funny is I've found myself. I don't know that this will surprise you or anyone because I do love a good conspiracy, but I feel like, shocker, you know, we lived through the year 2000 when everyone thought like, the world was gonna end or computers are gonna, like, explode and eat us or something, whatever. I never bought that. I wasn't like, oh, the world's gonna end. And then it happened again in like, what, 2012 or something? Because I remember being like with all of my high school friends. It was like over Christmas break and we were all outside, like, drinking. We were like a shot to die together. Like, whatever. Like playing into the thing.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, high school.

[Corinne]

But lately on TikTok, there's all these kids with prophecies. And for some reason, while I don't believe, like, when the news tells me the world's gonna end, when a five year old says a tsunami is coming for me, I'm believing it.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, I'm not. Okay, but you know what weird thing I had the realization of is technically we were born in the 1900s, and when you say that out loud, it makes us feel freaking ancient.

[Corinne]

It's crazy.

[Sabrina]

But also then I feel bad when we tell stories and I'm like, oh, it took place in the 1700s. Things were different. But I'm like, oh, like that's a thousand year period. The beginning of the 1700s versus the end of the 1700s are vastly different.

[Corinne]

100 years.

[Sabrina]

Sorry, yes.

[Corinne]

In my mind I was like, where's the thousand years? A hundred years.

[Sabrina]

But it feels like a thousand years.

[Corinne]

Because so much has changed.

[Sabrina]

Oh, yeah, you're right. Why am I blanking? Why am I having this?

[Corinne]

I don't know. I'm shocked. This is something I don't know. But not.

[Sabrina]

I feel like dyslexic or something right now. But anyway. But like, that's a hundred years. Like the people who were born in 1900 versus people who were born 1993. There's just so much that's happened and it's vastly different. What's happening in the world.

[Corinne]

Wars, tuberculosis, and death. So much death.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

Way too many expensive clothes.

[Sabrina]

Sure.

[Corinne]

But it just like Titanic sunk. Although I guess, like everything felt so big for that era. Could we not say we've experienced basically all of those things in our lifetime too? Ship sinking, sure.

[Sabrina]

But I just feel like had the global pandemic. I just think when I think of the 1900s, I don't think of 1993. I think of, like the early 1900s.

[Corinne]

You don't think of TLC?

[Jonathan Van Ness]

No.

[Sabrina]

When I say the 90s. When you say the 90s, then yeah.

[Corinne]

Right. Because it's the end. Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Anyway, so Those of you 90s babies, hey, we were born in the 1900s.

[Corinne]

Those of you who were born in 2000 and over. How are you?

[Sabrina]

Why are you listening to us?

[Corinne]

Yeah, Babies.

[Sabrina]

Babies. Anyway.

[Corinne]

Ooh, so weird.

[Sabrina]

That's just some weird thoughts for you to have this morning or afternoon or evening, whatever you're doing.

[Corinne]

Okay, well, I have a story, and it starts with a headline. Florida man uses Ancient Egyptian Magic to Build castle.

[Sabrina]

Sounds very on brand for Florida.

[Corinne]

It does. And this wasn't an actual headline, but it makes sense because this did happen in Florida, and that's essentially what did happen. So it would be a Florida man headline.

[Sabrina]

It could be. Be. If you were a news reporter back.

[Corinne]

Whenever this happened, if Florida man was a thing, that would have been your headline. Exactly. There's a structure in Florida built from 1100 tons of limestone. These gigantic blocks, some weighing more than a car. Actually, many of them weighing way more than a car.

[Sabrina]

That's wild.

[Corinne]

More than a school bus, more than an elephant, more than a whale. All perfectly balanced with doors that once spun with the touch of A finger. Towering monoliths cut and fitted together with precision. Yet no tools were ever seen. I guess that's an exaggeration. There were some tools, but no tools that you would like, think modern day, to make this happen were seen. And it was all built by one single man. A man who claimed to know the secrets of the pyramids. A man who worked only at night. A man who, depending on who you asked, was either a genius engineer working in total secrecy under the fall, the COVID of night, or a man using something else. Magic, perhaps.

[Sabrina]

A man who had, like, slaves hidden, tucked away, that he only brought it at night to construct his castle.

[Corinne]

That's so dark.

[Sabrina]

I don't know. We gotta present all theories.

[Corinne]

I don't think he had slaves. This was a five foot tall, hundred pound dude named Edward.

[Sabrina]

So you think he had Latvia magic that he created a castle with by himself?

[Corinne]

Well, okay, we're gonna get into it.

[Sabrina]

Okay.

[Corinne]

I, like, don't think he had slaves.

[Sabrina]

Sorry, I'm a skeptic. Today it's 2026.

[Corinne]

I'll say upfront, I don't think it was magic, but I think he tapped into something unknown to humans right now, whether it's like a way that we harness energy and things around us and move things.

[Sabrina]

Like, you fully believe he did this on his own?

[Corinne]

Well, because he did do it on his own. There's decades of evidence of him doing it on his own.

[Sabrina]

Have people witnessed him doing it on his own?

[Corinne]

Just listen. We are on paragraph one and there are like seven pages.

[Sabrina]

Sorry. Okay, I'm shutting up now.

[Corinne]

Okay. Tonight we are going to Florida to meet Edward Leedsklalan.

[Sabrina]

Mm.

[Corinne]

That's the last time I'll say his last name.

[Sabrina]

Okay.

[Corinne]

In the seemingly impossible place that he built. A place now known as Coral Castle. It is one of America's greatest unsolved engineering mysteries. A place carved from heartbreak, wrapped in scientific confusion and whispered about in paranormal circles.

[Sabrina]

Heartbreak.

[Corinne]

Mm. So this story, it's kind of funny that it happens still in Florida because, well, that he ended by doing his castle or building his castle in Florida, because it did remind me a little bit of the Pink palace, the Don Cesar hotel that we talked about in St. Pete, which, like, the backstory of that hotel, is very Romeo and Juliet esque. There were these two people in love, but their families wouldn't let them be together. And the guy moved to Florida, away from his love in Europe or whatever, and built her this like, giant pink castle by the sea, hoping that one day she would return. She passed away, but in the afterlife, they get to spend it together in their pink palace castle. Pink palace. Yeah, the pink palace by the sea. So this was not quite as like, Romeo and Juliet, because there was maybe a little bit of unrequited love here. But the crux of it is similar. Edward was born in 1887 in the rural Latvian countryside. And he was described as very slight. So he was like a barely 100 pounds, 5ft tall. He was very shy. He was very introspective.

[Sabrina]

A short king.

[Corinne]

And man was this short king strong and innovative. And we will figure out why soon.

[Sabrina]

But I really need to take my skeptic hat off. I really do. I don't know what's wrong with me today.

[Corinne]

I'm just shocked that you're being skeptical of, like, him himself being able to just, like, carry. It's not bricks that weigh a ton. Well, yeah, that's why, I guess I think it's like magic. I would think more that people would be like, oh, it's not magic. Like, humans have done this, like, construction ancient pyramids and all of the places in Peru and whatever.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

Which is kind of like the conversation. But Edward, before he moved to Florida. Ed. I'll call him Ed. Maybe. I don't know. We'll see if it's Eddie. Ed.

[Sabrina]

Ed.

[Corinne]

He spent most of his youth working with stone and timber, so he was already gaining a lot of skills when it came to craftsmanship and using tools and materials, but not anything fancy where he grew up. It was like, pretty basic tools. At age 26, he became engaged to Agnes Scuffs, a girl who is 10 years younger than him. So she was actually 16 years old.

[Sabrina]

Hmm.

[Corinne]

Ah, Yeah, A baby. He called her his sweet 16.

[Sabrina]

Interesting. So was he born in the 1800s and she was born in the 1900s? 1887.

[Corinne]

Oh, my gosh. They're from different centuries.

[Sabrina]

Time travel's already happening.

[Corinne]

You've got mail. Okay, so if we get past the age difference, which she was very much still a child. Edward did adore her, and he planned a life for them. He built a home, and they were planning on getting married, when then all of a sudden, the day before the wedding, she called it off. We don't know why, but I don't think a 16 year old needs to give reasons as to why she doesn't want to get married.

[Sabrina]

No, no woman has. No one has to give a reason if they don't want to get married. Don't get married. It's not worth it.

[Corinne]

That's it. We give you Permission to walk away the day before your wedding.

[Sabrina]

I saw this. Beautiful.

[Corinne]

A minute before your wedding, 10 years.

[Sabrina]

After your wedding, this beautiful clip of Emma Watson on the Jay Shetty podcast talking about why she hasn't been married yet.

[Corinne]

Oh, I saw this. I'm just glad I haven't been divorced yet.

[Sabrina]

Beautiful. But it was also like, I feel like. I mean, you have to go listen to the actual clip. But she was talking about how it feels like our society talks about it as an expectation, but she views marriage as this, like, gift that you have to earn. And she doesn't know if it's like a part of her journey and her path, but she also didn't know what her journey and path was for so long. And she's like, had I met someone, I married someone 10 years ago, I would be divorced because I didn't even know who I was and what I wanted. And I was like, well, I made that mistake for you.

[Corinne]

A lot of people do. And a lot of people, you know, they'll get married at 50 and still.

Right.

People change. And we wanna believe in eternal love forever, but we also believe in second chances and taking control of your own life. Autonomy and destiny. And autonomy. Edward was left a day before his wedding, and he was totally heartbroken. Apparently, of course, he didn't see it coming. And he basically, like, this was described as the pivotal moment for Edward with who he would become for the rest of his life. Okay. So he was already described as kind of like a quieter guy, but some people said, like, this is the moment that he became really withdrawn. Sure. He then basically became obsessed with proving his self worth, that he's, like, worthy of love and that he is. Oh, that breaks my soul. An important person. Yeah, I know.

[Sabrina]

Wounded child.

[Corinne]

And he could not stay in Latvia anymore, so he left. And for a while, he never really stayed in one place. He was very much like a transient per. Like, what do you call it? Where it's like. Why am I blanking on the word transient?

[Sabrina]

Works, isn't it?

[Corinne]

Yeah. He's in Canada, then he's in Oregon, California, Texas, Nebraska. He's always on the move. He'll stay somewhere and work for a bit, save up money, and then escape again. So he was, like, simultaneously trying to find a place that fed his soul and felt like home, while also trying to escape everything that happened and the pain that he felt so deeply.

[Sabrina]

It's like changing your location doesn't make you run away from the emotions that are with you, that is always with you. You have to work through that.

[Corinne]

Yeah, but sometimes it makes it easier to work through it because then you don't have everyone else around you who acts like a mirror or amplifies the things that you.

[Sabrina]

It's a temporary solution, not a long term fix.

[Corinne]

I feel like it worked for me for moving to Massachusetts.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, but then you stayed here and you worked on yourself.

[Corinne]

Well, yeah. Cause I didn't keep running.

[Sabrina]

You didn't keep. That's what I'm saying. I think, like running from one spot to another.

[Corinne]

Yeah. I was like, I didn't like who I was in la, so I moved here and I fixed it.

[Sabrina]

You can pick up a move anytime.

[Corinne]

So he was working really hard. He saved money and then he'd head to the next place. But by 1918, Edward had found himself in Florida. But this was not gonna be a spot for him to just like sit back and relax and drink some pina coladas or smoke some Cubans, get in touch with himself. Because this was basically the place where he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Like super bad tuberculosis. Like he was terminal. He was given months to live.

[Sabrina]

Yikes.

[Corinne]

A few months came, a few months went, but Edward was still alive. How had he survived this terminal tuberculosis? Well, supposedly, according to Edward, magnetism cured him. And magnets would allow him to live for another 33 years. Already he's a little woo woo. And we like that. I do. At least Sabrina doesn't like him for some reason.

[Sabrina]

I'm gonna keep my mouth shut here.

[Corinne]

In 1920, just two years after moving to Florida, he purchased a small patch of land in Florida City, which is south of Miami. And it was like just before the Florida Keys and having a lot of experience with stone. Edward was like, okay, this is a great place to build like a monument. And he started to build structures and he called it Rock Gate Park. So in his lifetime, it was Rock Gate Park. But now after his death, people call it the Coral Castle. Okay, so this would be the start of a great mystery spanning decades. One that we're talking about now because it's still a mystery. Edward never stopped building structures, monuments. And the full structure now is called the Coral castle. So for 28 years, he worked on all of these structures, but he never let anyone see him work.

[Sabrina]

Okay, 28 years.

[Corinne]

Yes.

[Sabrina]

I'm buying into this a little bit more. That's right.

[Corinne]

It was like, it took decades.

[Sabrina]

I thought it was like he's building and like constructing this overnight.

[Corinne]

No, but it is overnight. It's the sun goes working at night.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, yeah.

[Corinne]

During the day you would not witness a single thing. But should you return the following day, maybe a giant limestone door, a wall, just huge heavy stones would appear. Seemingly constructed perfectly overnight with no evidence of the tools or anything. Like no drag marks. Like no evidence as to how it just was placed. Neighbors didn't hear anything. Like it was crazy. So secret.

[Sabrina]

Does he have real neighbors? For some reason, I've been picturing this kind of in a secluded area, But.

[Corinne]

I guess he has neighbors in this one. He'll move and have more privacy soon. Okay, so not only were these stones carved, but they were also moved by one single guy. Coral castle is not made of coral. It's from oolitic. Sorry if I butchered that. Oolitic limestone. Sometimes called Miami oolite. It's ancient. It's formed from skeletal remains of marine organisms cemented together. So it's basically like, it's like a very dense and heavy stone, but it's like a bunch of different things, like shoved together, which is why looks like coral.

[Sabrina]

Yes.

[Corinne]

And it's also very notoriously difficult to cut because of that. With precise skills, he could do it. But Eddie, he did it. And it's also frickin heavy. So that's what he used for literally everything in this castle. In this specific castle, the smallest stones weighed about three tons. And remember, tons is 2,000 pounds. So the smallest stones, the smallest things, he did 6,000 pounds. No, wait. Yes.

[Sabrina]

You are good at math today. I'm not. I'm like shocked we switched.

[Corinne]

I know we did. The outer walls of the castle weighed up to 30 tons. And a few pieces were estimated to be over 50 tons. So as a comparison, the smaller pieces weigh about as much as a full grown African elephant. The larger pieces are more comparable to the weight of a fully grown humpback whale. Edward is a hundred pounds.

[Sabrina]

So how. Okay, my question, and maybe you don't know this because it took however long to actually construct the whole thing, but like, people go to sleep, there's already one stone there. The next morning, do they wake up and there's like one more stone there, or are there 10 more stones placed there?

[Corinne]

I think it was slower. I don't think it was like ten stones.

[Sabrina]

Okay, yeah, I'm still skeptical, but I can at least buy like one over.

[Corinne]

Everyone kind of is because still no one knows how he did it by himself.

[Sabrina]

And it's also like, why not share, like, why is he being so secretive about it?

[Corinne]

We'll get to it. But he did write down some of the things and had like some journals but it's just like, people couldn't comprehend exactly what he meant because they were. They weren't very specific. They were still kind of like, oh, well, I. I harnessed this.

[Sabrina]

Okay.

[Corinne]

Or I did this.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. Because he doesn't have a crane. He doesn't have tools to do this. Yeah.

[Corinne]

No. And also, like, I read it's hard because a lot of the information from Coral Castle, too. Like, of course there's like, you know, like, National Geographic or like, whatever History Channel stuff on it, but there's also a lot that's just regurgitated in people's travel blogs who went and did the tour. And so I don't know how truth's like, exact quotes and things that he said actually are right. But there was one that I read that said that he basically was like, oh, well, I could tell you exactly how I did it, but that would also waste, like, two decades of all the work that I did. So I think he wanted it to be a bit of a mystery. But he did tell people that he had tapped into.

[Sabrina]

He was gatekeeping.

[Corinne]

He was gatekeeping, but he was like, I am just doing exactly what they did to build the ancient pyramids. Huh.

[Sabrina]

So he's like, only he ever knows.

[Corinne]

I guess the answer is there. That's why it's just people are struggling to find the answer. But it exists. It's not aliens.

[Sabrina]

Hmm.

[Corinne]

Ed supposedly moved all these alone. Well, not supposedly. I guess he did. There's, like, literally zero other people who've ever come forward saying that they helped. A lot of people have tried. Like, people were spying. He murdered them all. They are inside of the core. When the engineers from University of Florida went to go examine the stones, they confirmed the density and weight, but they could not confirm the method in which Ed could move these stones. Which brings us to the castle itself.

[Sabrina]

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[Corinne]

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[Sabrina]

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[Corinne]

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[Sabrina]

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[Corinne]

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[Sabrina]

It's buttery soft.

[Corinne]

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[Sabrina]

Single wash. Oh it's amazing. I feel like anytime someone sleeps in my bowl and branch sheets they compliment me and then immediately ask how can they get their hands on it.

[Corinne]

They also have over 25 colors and different patterns. Like I have a striped pattern that's like tan and white for whatever mood you're in. It's easy to change out your vibe.

[Sabrina]

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[Corinne]

So if you're watching on YouTube throughout this episode there will be some images, but when you walk into Coral Castle for the first time, you'll be met by this 25 foot high wall that surrounds the property, made of slabs weighing about 30 tons each. So a full grown humpback whale. Crazy. All put together almost seamlessly so there's no mortar. It's just like precise cuts.

[Sabrina]

Look at these photos.

[Corinne]

Yeah, I might be misremembering where this was, but when I was in Peru there's that Wall in like Cusco, where it's like the same thing where like you, you can't even fit a piece of paper through the line.

[Sabrina]

Separation.

[Corinne]

Yeah, the separation of the stones, and yet there's no mortar.

[Sabrina]

Whoa. This is not what I was picturing.

[Corinne]

In a way, it's almost like an art sculpture garden.

[Sabrina]

It does look like a sculpture garden. Yeah, I like the moons.

[Corinne]

Okay, well, I'm glad you bring that up because he also seemed to have this like fascination and fixation with the sky, with astronomy, and that is seen in some of the sculptures. So, like, yes, there's like moons and different things like that, but there's also a Polaris telescope. So it's a 20 ton stone tower with a narrow tube bored straight through it. And the tube is aligned with Polaris, the North Star, which is still active.

[Sabrina]

So he made his own little telescope.

[Corinne]

He made his own telescope out of stone. He also made his own sundial. And the stone clock could tell time within minutes. And apparently he could adjust it for daylight savings. Edward there was a nine ton gate, so 18,000 pound gate, and this slab of stone was drilled through with a cylindrical shaft that balanced on a metal rod so perfectly that it once rotated with the push of a finger. So he could open an 18,000 pound door by just pushing his finger and effortlessly open.

[Sabrina]

If he really, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, like, if he really did do this all on his own, why gatekeep it? Like, what knowledge does he have from the greater universal, like plot?

[Corinne]

Well, think about the people who tried to not gatekeep things. They go missing, they die, their research is dead. Sure. But like, it's like the guy that's like, oh, I figured out a way to make cars run on water or find a cure for cancer.

[Sabrina]

That. Yes, but this is a building. This is how to build structures.

[Corinne]

Yeah, but it unlocks all the ancient secrets, right?

[Sabrina]

So like he must have some knowledge from a greater universal. Yeah, yeah, maybe being that's telling him not to share it.

[Corinne]

And it made me wonder too, because he spent so much time alone. If he did some sort of meditation and tapped in in some way, the Gateway tapes, I was literally just thinking that, okay, so obviously this feels like it defies man or at least something that a single man could do. So people were like, it's gotta be some sort of magic or alien intervention. And these conversations came up time and time again about ancient Egypt and various structures all over the world in Asia and South America. And just like, how did this happen for all these ancient civilizations where we're speculating that maybe there were like 10,000 workers working on something and we still don't understand exactly how they moved something. This is a single guy. Right. He doesn't have a team, so how could he do this? Well, in 1986, engineers dismantled this gate, the one that could just like move when you touched it with your finger. And they discovered a custom machine axle, precise balancing, and hole drilled so exact that even modern builders could not duplicate it with hand tools that Ed had used.

[Sabrina]

I mean, I do fully believe that his upbringing and like, his education in Latvia probably did teach him something that, like, I don't know. I feel like we as modern day people, especially in America, become so dependent on tools and like, machinery to do things for us.

[Corinne]

But because we've like modernized everything and it's like technology seems to be advancing everything, but we're losing a lot the craftsmanship. Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Like, I think about my grandmother and great grandmother who hand sewed their own clothing. Like, beautiful, pristine stitching I could never reach.

[Corinne]

I don't even know how to put a button on pants.

[Sabrina]

I do know how to do that.

[Corinne]

Oh, well, that's good. See, I'd have to go to YouTube and use.

Right.

And it would be good to know.

[Sabrina]

But, like, I imagine that he, where he grew up and like the tools and, you know, craftsmanship that he learned was very meticulous.

[Corinne]

Right. Yeah. And it's also, it's like, it's modern, modern builders and stuff that are trying to figure out how he did this. Yeah. Not that this was like so, so long ago, but like, yeah, you know, it was long enough. So in order to successfully do this, they had to drill using a tool that Ed did not possess. He had no modern machinery, just like the people of ancient Egypt didn't. Just like the Mayans. And one thing Ed did have in common with these ancient civilizations was the fascination with astronomy. So he carved large crescents and celestial bodies in a lot of his work. The telescope, the sundial, and every stone and every angle was placed with intention. He claimed that all of this was built for Agnes, his ex fiance. And he said the castle was built for my sweet 16.

[Sabrina]

Hate that line.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Hate that so much. And I'm also so curious, like, what Agnes is up to. Like, was she just like living her best life with no regard?

[Corinne]

She really had no idea.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

Is he sending letters over from Florida being like, look, I made you this telescope?

[Sabrina]

I also do feel bad for Edward. Like, I just want to give him a hug and be like, there's something else out there for you. Like, you don't have to, like, pine for her forever.

[Corinne]

It's like you feel bad, but then also, like, if you were in her position, you'd be like, oh, my God, like, this is a crazy stalker.

[Sabrina]

Right? Like, you're obsessed with me.

[Corinne]

Yeah. Think about it. Like, the Notebook is supposed to be one of the most, like, romantic movies ever. And that is essentially what he did. He, like, built her house, wrote letters and wrote letters and wrote letters every single day.

[Sabrina]

It makes me think of a Greg and Dana Newkirk's love story, too, where, like, Greg Foley was a stalker.

[Corinne]

Yes.

[Sabrina]

But it turned out great.

[Corinne]

So Ed shared, like, his motivation for the castle and a few tidbits, but it really was what he wouldn't share that would keep people up at night. So he lived on site. He lived on the second story of the castle, but there was no electricity, no crane, no modern lifting equipment. And again, he was 5ft tall, about a hundred pounds. He only worked at night. And no one saw him move stones. Well, almost no one, because there were a few witnesses because people did try to spy.

[Sabrina]

How is he not, like, ripped?

[Corinne]

He probably is, I guess. Although, like, I don't see any shirtless photos of him. But, like, there are photos of him, and he. He's. He's skinny. He almost looks like a rock climber. You know how they're, like, all so.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. And they're, like, tiny fingers are so freaking strong.

[Corinne]

So strong.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

The force is with you.

[Corinne]

From the 1920s to the 1940s, locals reported strange phenomena around Ed and the Coral Castle, or Rock Gate, as he had called it. A lot of these reports came from children. Children who later, as adults, still stuck by their story. At night, walking along the property line of Coral Castle, kids and teens would peek through the cracks of the fence, and it didn't matter who it was when they went. Each individual kid basically reported seeing the exact same thing. Ed was levitating the stones. They moved like they were weightless. They floated through the air. Curious. One night, a group of teenagers were like, we need to get a better view, and we're not just going to peek through this fence. So they climbed a tree so that they could, like, have a more unobstructed view. Smart. And they saw a tripod, a black box, and stones seemingly being pulled by an invisible force. So a few more clues because there were some tools.

[Sabrina]

Badass. If he really is levitating fricking stones.

[Corinne]

Yeah. These were the kids who still stick by this as adults. But there also were a few adult witnesses. One said that they saw him use a small telephone pole as part of, like, the pulley system to move rocks. Which, if this is true, that would actually work for some of the smaller stones, but certainly not for the larger ones. Another man reported seeing him take scrap parts from cars from the nearby junkyard to use somehow in some way. So it was like no one really still knows.

[Sabrina]

I mean, I'm just like, fathoming this is so. It's just hard for me to conceptualize.

[Corinne]

It's hard for everybody. That's why it's a mystery.

[Sabrina]

That's why it's a mystery.

[Corinne]

No one knows how we did it.

[Sabrina]

But I think about my accomplishments as a woman moving things in my house. I feel like there's videos of this where it's the woman who wants to do something and makes it happen and moving massive things by themselves in the house. But they're not tons. They don't weigh the size of an elephant.

[Corinne]

Like, no, even the most elite athletes.

[Sabrina]

You can't do that.

[Corinne]

No.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. Like, I dragged a king sized mattress up two flights of stairs by myself.

[Corinne]

Jesus Christ.

[Sabrina]

And I was, like, dripping sweat by the end, and I was. But I was so proud of myself.

[Corinne]

Yeah, that's really impressive.

[Sabrina]

But that's not this. No, not even close.

[Corinne]

But I'm very impressed by it. Thank you. I think that's amazing.

[Sabrina]

I just wanted to brag.

[Corinne]

No, but I think, like, that's the thing is, like, there's so many people. And I feel like this comes up a lot with, like, the pyramids and stuff too, where, like, people get mad because they're like, it's insulting to give credit to aliens or something and that. Like, these. You're basically saying, like, these people couldn't do it. We're not saying that Ed couldn't do it. The question is how? Because they're trying to replicate it. Engineers, experts, all of these people are trying to replicate it and they can't. So the question isn't, did he use magic and aliens to do this? The question is, how did he do it? So if you are sitting there listening to this and you're really mad and you're like, well, he used a pulley system. Please give me an actual diagram. Build it and do it yourself.

[Sabrina]

Prove it, prove it, prove it.

[Corinne]

How did he do it?

[Sabrina]

Show us your muscle.

[Corinne]

Because we can say, oh, he must have used some pulley system. But what pulley system? Right?

[Sabrina]

Like, no one has been able to figure out what it actually is like.

[Corinne]

The actual way that he did it, we do not know. So modern day, they just keep failing trying to recreate what he could have done. So even there was a small crane that they used to try to move some of these stones and they couldn't. And so they're like, okay, well, this is like a modern day small crane. And he didn't even have this. So again, they're very confused about how he could have done this. One thing I do love is, you know, we keep talking about, like, the doors and the walls and all of these, like, giant things. He also created household items as if it were like a real home. So he had a bathtub, he had a heart shaped table. And my favorite was he had what he called the mad rocker, which were two rocking chairs made out of stone, but they were next to each other, facing away from one another. So if you got in a fight with your loved one, you could still be close to them but not have to look at them. The Mad River.

[Sabrina]

Did he live here?

[Corinne]

He did on the second story. There was no electricity or anything like that.

[Sabrina]

Okay.

[Corinne]

But people did say, like, it does feel a lot warmer from the limestone. Like, it keeps it more comfortable in there. Okay. So all of the work happened overnight for some 28 years of building. Edward is very experienced and skilled in working with stones, clearly. And also clearly skilled at some sort of, like, lever and pulley system that's a mystery to people. He claimed that he understood the laws of weight and leverage, just. Just like how the ancient Egyptians and builders in Peru and Asia moved massive stones. But he left it at that. He never exposed his exact methods.

[Sabrina]

He understood it, but how did he understand it and how did he apply it?

[Corinne]

Yeah, how did he apply it is really the biggest question too.

[Sabrina]

He did a really good job of living an air of mystique.

[Corinne]

Yes. Yeah. And kept it up for, like, 30 years. Engineers proposed that he used some sort of tripod and pulley system similar to what the teenagers were saying that they saw, like the black box and the pulley or whatever. So some sort of, like, block and tackle system, a log roller, some counterweights. But again, like, this is like, oh, he must have had these things, but how did he actually use them? And how did he actually do it? Also, there's some inconsistencies with this theory because if he did do it that way, there should have been some sort of, like, a frame joist. There would be drag marks on the property from, like, dragging stones, but there was no displaced earth no trenches, no scaffolding remnants, Nothing. Neighbors heard nothing. How were these massive amounts of weight moved in silence in the COVID of night and no evidence of his work come morning?

[Sabrina]

Especially if he's carving some of these stones, like the shapes that he's making. The rocks don't just show up in that shape, like he is carving those which when. If you hear the sound of chiseling of a rock, you hear that.

[Corinne]

Interestingly enough, though, Edward did try to expose some of his methods. So he apparently published pamphlets on magnetism, which he said was, like, part of the reason that his tuberculosis was cured and also that he was able to do this. So he said he harnessed electromagnetic energy, developed a perpetual motion machine, but again.

[Sabrina]

There'S nothing a ppmm, PPMM or pmm.

[Corinne]

Pmm. But again, there was no physical evidence, just very basic, like tools like picks and pulleys and stuff. And yet he said he had all the answers, he just didn't want to share them. Or maybe that maybe he tried to share and we just don't fully understand. But he said all matter is made of individual magnets. Gravity is a push, not a pull. Earth's magnetic flow drives physical movement. So these are like. These are his answers. But you're like, well, what does that mean? How do you define.

[Sabrina]

It's like a. Woo. Woo.

[Corinne]

Yeah, exactly.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

Electricity and magnetism are the same phenomenon. He also, like, claimed to fully understand electricity and like, how. Well, I can't even explain what he was saying he understood, but like, that. He just understood everything.

[Sabrina]

He's speaking in riddles.

[Corinne]

He is, yeah. And he said you can manipulate mass through magnetic alignment. So the north and south poles as individual magnets are the building blocks of nature. Damn right. Yeah. So exactly. It's like he's trying to give answers, but we're like, he's on a different level. No comprende.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

What? There was also a story of a man who saw Edward walking around prior to him creating this. He reported seeing this little man walking around with dowsing rods, which he called witching rods or whatever at the time. Or the guy who saw him and he stopped him and was like, hey, what are you doing? And Edward said something like, I'll know when I find it. And then a few years for the water source, basically. So a few years later, when this started to be a thing, the guy recognized him when there was a paper, newspaper article about him. And he's like, oh, that's the little man with the rods that I stopped and talked to. And so people Were like, oh, was he looking for, like, a water source or, like, a perfect location where the elements and the, like, property itself could help him? Like, he could harness whatever he can harness that no one else understands fully.

[Sabrina]

He was finding. He was finding intersecting ley lines.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Like, yeah.

[Corinne]

So Edward clearly figured out something else that no one else understood. But one question, again, that I personally had was, like, how was he getting the stones to begin with? Right.

[Sabrina]

Huge question.

[Corinne]

Yeah. And this led me. And I'll answer it in a minute. But this led me to learn about Orville Irwin. So, apparently, in 1936, Edward wanted to move the castle 10 miles away. There were way too many peeping toms. Everyone was trying to, like, look in the gates. He was, like, basically in. He was in Florida city. Like, he was in a busier spot. So he's like, I need some privacy. And so he hired orville irwin, who was a truck driver, to transport all of the stones that he had already created to a new location, which this new location was closer to Miami. It's, like, technically in an unincorporated town, So I think it's a little bit more remote.

[Sabrina]

I'm just picturing, like, this truck driver showing up and one stone being loaded in and the entire back of the truck hitting the ground, like, not being able to move.

[Corinne]

Yeah. This has to be, like, a massive truck. Yeah. I don't fully understand Big wheels. Yeah. So orville Erwin shows up with his team, and ed is like, oh, no, I don't need your team. This stuff is too heavy for you guys. Just leave the truck overnight, Come back in the morning.

[Sabrina]

This stuff is too heavy for you guys. But I'll do it.

[Corinne]

I'll do it.

[Sabrina]

It's not too heavy for me.

[Corinne]

So Edward's like, shoo, shoo. And Orville's like, oh, this is weird. But, okay. So he drops off the truck overnight, and the next morning, when orville returns, all the stones are placed in the truck. Oh, and to answer my original question.

[Sabrina]

Were the stones made of jello?

[Corinne]

Yeah. Like, it's just such a mystery. I was like, how was he getting these stones to begin with? And I couldn't exactly tell from my research if any of them, like, were delivered to the property. But apparently there are some quarries on site. So it sounds like he was digging.

[Sabrina]

And he was excavating his own stones.

[Corinne]

Yeah. One man. Cause there was, like, reports of, like, all the quarries and the pools and stuff on site, like, on the property. I was like, so he's getting stuff himself, like, from the ground. And then I mean, I'm.

[Sabrina]

I'm very confounded by this. I think I'm less of like a skeptic and more of a. Because there's not even a logical way that I can explain this either.

[Corinne]

Right? It befuddles the mind.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

Hi everyone, it's JVN from Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness. This season we've been talking a lot about hope. Not the fluffy kind, but the grounded, gritty. We're actually doing something kind. One of the places I term for that is Americans United for Separation of Church and State. They're this quiet and mighty force that's been working to keep religion and government separate so all of us can live as ourselves and believe as we choose, as long as we don't harm others. Church, state, separation touches so many of the things we care about. LGBTQI plus rights, marriage equality, reproductive freedom, and abortion access. Americans United is out here being one of the vital voices of reason, fighting in the courts and in Congress and pushing back against Christian nationalist efforts to force everyone to live by one narrow set of beliefs. You can learn so much more about what AU does and how to support their work at AU.org gettingbetter your support, no matter the amount, helps to safeguard our freedoms. Americans United is fighting for freedom without favor and equality without exception. You can start a chapter in your hometown today. You can volunteer money or time, get involved in your community. Learn [e-mail] better so I've definitely talked.

[Sabrina]

About this before, but my brother's dog Jackson is the pickiest eater. Jackson has a taste palette that can only be satiated by Ollie.

[Corinne]

He knows what he like and he likes human grade recipes backed by vet nutritionists and crafted with culinary experts. Experts and dogs really do love the taste like even the pickiest eaters. Ollie's so great too because it's tailored meal plans to meet your dog's specific needs and they're perfectly portioned meals and.

[Sabrina]

They use real ingredients and they have five slow cooked recipes to choose from. It tastes like a warm, comforting meal, but it's for dogs. And the Ollie app offers on demand health screenings where you can tap real experts for pup peace of mind.

[Corinne]

Your dog's well being starts with their food and that's why Ollie delivers fresh food. Human grade food that your dog will love. Head to ollie.com TGOG tell them all about your dog and use code TGOG to get 60% off your welcome kit when you subscribe today. Plus they offer a happiness guarantee on the first box, so if you're not completely satisfied you'll get your money back. That's O l l I e.com TGOG and enter code TGOG to get 60% off your first box. So this entire castle, Edward, and the creation of every single stone is all so mysterious. But what I also find fascinating is what people say about the castle today. So back when Edward was living in it, he basically, like, allowed people to come in and tour the castle. Sure. So while he was very private at night and how things were created, he wanted to share his, like, art with.

[Sabrina]

Everyone, or was he harnessing people's energy who came to visit? His energetic vampire.

[Corinne]

Yeah. Carved into the stone outside of the gate, read the words, ring bell twice. And when people did, he would come down from the second story of the castle. And why is he.

[Sabrina]

The wizard vase?

[Corinne]

Yeah, he kind of is. And he would charge people. At one point, it was like, 10 cents, and then it became a quarter for a tour. And if someone didn't have the means to pay, he wouldn't let them. He was just like, whatever, it's fine.

[Sabrina]

Oh, he would still let them in.

[Corinne]

Yeah, he'd let them in.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Corinne]

And basically, I read that, like, him charging for payment wasn't really about the money at all. It was just because he once didn't charge, and people weren't being very respectful of the property. And so it was, like, a way to deter or, like, just, like, create some, like, expectation of respect around the place. So if someone showed up and they were like, oh, I don't have money, he's like, it's fine. I'll just give you a tour. He would bring people in. They could look at the sculptures, the structures, and if they asked him how he did it, he would always respond, basically, by saying, like, something along the lines of, it's not difficult if you know how, and he would leave it at that.

[Sabrina]

Right. We're asking how, buddy.

[Corinne]

Yeah. So how?

[Sabrina]

How?

[Corinne]

So while the groups are on the tour, some visitors reported that their compasses would spin and watches would act really strangely. So it's like there was some strange magnetic anomaly happening here, which can't fully be explained because now when researchers go and try to measure the area, like, some say that there's nothing, but then other times, people say that there is a lot of. So, like, it's weird. It's like this place, like, shifts and.

[Sabrina]

Changes, but only Edward knew how to.

[Corinne]

Harness it, I guess. So he said it himself. Magnets are the answer. But the stones that were used are also not magnetic. They're limestone. And I looked up. So limestone. It's like limestone inherently not magnetic. Oolate limestone isn't inherently magnetic either, but it can have some magnetic minerals in it. But still, it's not, like, you know enough where you, like, put, like, a crane with a giant magnet on it. Right.

[Sabrina]

And even then, you would need a giant crane with a giant magnet.

[Corinne]

Right. Yeah. Also, people have talked about lights. So there's, like, weird reports of flashing lights coming from the castle, which, by the way, has zero electricity. There's literally nothing. Also a humming vibration and a glowing aura around the stones, which I wasn't that surprised about. The glowing aura, because there's this gravestone that I think is made of limestone in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, called, like, known as the glowing gravestone. Because it, like, has an aura. Yeah, it glows at night.

[Sabrina]

Well, okay, so it's interesting. I. There's people who have synesthesia. Is that. I think that's how you.

[Corinne]

Synesthesia.

[Sabrina]

Synesthesia, where they, like, see color with like. Or they assign things that don't necessarily go with one another. They assign color to. Right. So, yeah.

[Corinne]

Or like. Like, a word could taste like something.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, exactly. I don't have that by any means, but when I read books, physical books, certain pages and certain parts of books as I'm reading have color. And then when I'm writing, when something I write is complete or I've figured out, I think when something I write is good, it has color. Otherwise, if it doesn't have color, you.

[Corinne]

Do have a bit of it, but it's not.

[Sabrina]

I don't know. It's only with words, and.

[Corinne]

But that's part, like, everything.

[Sabrina]

I don't know.

[Corinne]

It is specific for people.

[Sabrina]

Well, it's only that it's only with words.

[Corinne]

That's so fascinating.

[Sabrina]

I didn't know that I was reading in Bedlam.

[Corinne]

It's always the same color. It just. A color will just appear.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, it just depends. Like, last night, I was reading the new Riley Sager book, and I was, like, on page. I think it was like, I literally remember the page. It was 178, and there was, like, a page that the words literally started kind of, like, lifting off the page, and they were blue.

[Corinne]

Dang. That's crazy. That's really cool.

[Sabrina]

But it's also frustrating when I finish writing something and I'm like, there's no color.

[Corinne]

Oh, you're like, what does this mean?

[Sabrina]

I'm like, this was bad. People won't like it.

[Corinne]

Or is it like the color comes when you're channeling?

[Sabrina]

No, the Color comes when it's, like, for my writing, it's when it's something I've written that I'm really proud of, and I think other people will receive well. And it's been proven. The things that have been received well have always had color for me before I shared it with people.

[Corinne]

So do you just not share the things that don't have color now?

[Sabrina]

Well, I haven't been writing very much.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

The writing I've been doing has been for this podcast and for crimes of. And you have seen it all. But my personal writing, I have not.

[Corinne]

Had any of it.

[Sabrina]

Color. No. Because it's not really creative.

[Corinne]

It's like it's reporting. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Anyway.

[Corinne]

Okay. So Edward, clearly, so long as he's alive, it doesn't seem like he's gonna tell anyone. In November of 1951, a new sign appeared on the door of the front gate. It read, going to the hospital. Oh, Edward, I know. Ed took a bus to the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He had suffered a stroke. And it wasn't clear if he suffered a stroke before getting to the hospital or soon after arriving, but it sounded like he was there for 28 days and then passed away of kidney failure.

[Sabrina]

How old was he, do we know? Almost 80 years old.

[Corinne]

Yeah, 70 something. So he lives a long life.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

After basically being given a few months to live of terminal tuberculosis when he was, like, in his 20s or early 30s.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

Right.

[Corinne]

So with his passing, he left behind a mysterious castle, cryptic notebooks, and a legacy that would span decades, and a mystery that still drives experts to the castle today. But he also didn't know he was gonna pass. And so in his workshop and around the property, Ed left behind journals, which was huge. Right. Like, this is the clue. This is where he must have written all of his answers. But just like when, you know, I was referencing it earlier, like when people say they found the cure to cancer or, like, some sort of thing to, like, help civilization, like Nikola Tesla. And, like, all this stuff, people go missing or their work goes missing.

[Sabrina]

His journals went missing.

[Corinne]

So experts believe that many of Ed's notebooks vanished after his death. So we don't have all the information that Ed had actually left behind.

[Sabrina]

But I also imagine that Ed's journals, even if we had all of them, were written the same way the way he described things were. It's not difficult if you know how, like, he had a knowledge that he was just expelling in his brain, so.

[Corinne]

He didn't need to write it down. Strange electrical components, magnetic devices, Homemade coils and a flywheel were all left behind in his workshop. Okay, what is a flywheel?

[Sabrina]

Well, good question.

[Corinne]

It was a perpetual motion holder. So this is like what he had said. Yeah, he had basically created this like massive wooden wheel embedded with magnets connected to bearings. And he would rotate it by hand, and there's actually photos of him standing beside it, and he's like smiling slyly. And some speculate that maybe this was actually like some sort of lifting mechanism or homemade generator because there wasn't any electricity. So it's like, oh, could he have created like his own sort of generator here to like help him move things? But others thought the flywheel was like basically just his way of having, like a model, like a demonstration tool for him to visualize magnetic flow. Or like something like, again, people still don't know what the flywheel actually is. Others thought maybe it was a lifting device. And that him, like standing there slyly smiling was like, you guys keep asking me, like, how I'm doing it, and I'm literally showing you, but you still don't understand. He's got a secret.

[Sabrina]

He's like a magician.

[Corinne]

He is. He's totally magic. So the answer is, no one knows what the flywheel. So he left behind journals and actual tools and things that he created, and yet still no one knows how to use them.

[Sabrina]

Wow. See, this is one of those stories where I wish he did have, like, kids who he taught his methods to, and then they could, like, I know, be passing it along in just their generation of family or their ancestral line.

[Corinne]

It is so wild too, because, like, for him to announce that he was doing the same thing that the ancient Egyptians did to build those pyramids, it's like that has been something that people have long speculated, like, how do they do this? Or how did they do this? And it's like he maybe did have the answer, and yet again, it died with him. And it's like, how many people are out there doing this?

[Sabrina]

The Pretty Little Liars theme song is just playing.

[Corinne]

Got a secret. Can you keep it swearing this one, you'll see.

[Sabrina]

And he did.

[Corinne]

Okay, Enter some paranormal adjacent explanations. So, of course, because we have no answers, some paranormal theorists have come in and they have argued that maybe he generated electromagnetic fields, used acoustic resonance and anti gravity effects. And while no one knows how the flywheel, it's like all easy. Okay, well then how. Yeah, and basically this was like people were talking about how there's like a humming in the castle. So there were some theories that maybe he used Tuning forks and frequencies to move the stones. And there actually was a report way back when, in the 20th century, a Swedish engineer named Olaf Alexanderson claimed to witness a group of monks using instruments to create, like, a sound together to move and levitate extremely large, like, giant stones into the air and place them elsewhere.

[Sabrina]

I don't disbelieve that. Like, I. On even just like a human being level, sound can move things around in our bodies.

[Corinne]

Yeah. And sound can change the molecular structure of something.

[Sabrina]

Yeah.

[Corinne]

Like, all those tests on water and.

[Sabrina]

Right.

[Corinne]

Like, that's not us just making something up. Like, that was tested.

[Sabrina]

Right.

[Corinne]

Sam. It just.

[Sabrina]

It's like, how does someone take that small. Like, that's on, like, a small scale. Like, yes, it's massive in terms of, like, how it's changing something. But how do you then apply that to moving stone that weighs the weight of a humpback whale?

[Corinne]

Right. And it's also like, the group of monks. These are people who dedicated their life to tapping into this. They're working together as a group still. Right. This is a heartbroken man from Latvia who moved to Florida and is walking around with tuning forks and dowsing rods and doing this damn, damn, damn. So while he wasn't using music, so to speak, there was that humming. So people were like, he could have been using some sort of, like, tuning situation. Which is interesting because it's like, I think back to, like, the kids that were saying that they saw the stones levitating.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. I mean, I do not believe he was physically lifting them, like, in any way. Like, you can't convince me of that.

[Corinne]

Right. At all. And all of the. All of the tools that he created, like the lever, like the poles, or, like, all the magnets on that sort of, like, flywheel thing. Maybe those were the flywheel and the magnets. And the way that it would spin when he hand cranked it, could that not have made some sort of, like, tuning?

[Sabrina]

Sure. But then how do you control that to place it in the spot that you want it specifically? I mean, all of this is befuddling.

[Corinne]

He is a wizard. At the beginning of this episode, I was like, he didn't use magic. He definitely did this himself. And I'm like, did he, though? It's crazy.

[Sabrina]

He used his own brain.

[Corinne]

Yeah. So basically, Coral Castle is proof that we often underestimate human ingenuity. It is far easier to say aliens or magic could have done this, because the truth, it just feels still out of grasp. Like, we can't understand it. It's easier to blame the paranormal. Or maybe, just maybe, he was unlocking some ancient knowledge and creating this magnificent place as a result. And maybe him doing that can be considered a paranormal anomaly in and of itself.

[Sabrina]

Well, it's supernatural.

[Corinne]

Yeah, absolutely. We don't understand it. The knowledge has died with this man. And now Coral Castle sits a beautiful structure of perfectly executed limestone architecture which amplifies sound, manipulates magnetic fields, creates a beautiful hum and just befuddles everyone who ever enters it.

[Sabrina]

Consider us befuddled.

[Corinne]

We are befuddled. Could this be the key to something more? Or is this simply a remarkable structure, the result of a dedicated man who never forgot the loneliness and heartbreak of losing his first love, and how channeling all of that energy into something greater and stranger than any of us could understand resulted in a wonderful mystery that is now Coral Castle.

[Sabrina]

Hey, hats off to Eddie for channeling that heartbreak into something like a passion project.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

His own work. Rather than.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Like it's been. He spent a long time kind of trying to figure out where to go next after he was heartbroken. But like, he didn't take that out on others. He didn't become like a horrible person after heartbreak.

[Corinne]

And if what people are saying is true about like his motive and the way that he. Who he was trying to become, it does make sense that he didn't tell people how he did it because he was trying to prove that he was an important person, that he was worthy of love and attention and affection.

[Sabrina]

Everyone that he could do something affectionate and attention. Just remember that if you're out there and you don't think you are worthy, you absolutely.

[Corinne]

You don't have to do something like this to be worthy.

[Sabrina]

No. Just existing, you could bedrock for the rest of your life, and you are still worthy of loving your born worthy.

[Corinne]

Yes. But it does make sense to me now, like, thinking about it, because it's like he. That was his motivation. So when people were like, oh, why can't you just tell people? He was like, well, then all my work would be undone. So it does make sense where it's.

[Sabrina]

Like he had an ego.

[Corinne]

If he told people, maybe anyone could do it. And then he doesn't become an important person again in his mind.

[Sabrina]

Ego.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. We all have a little bit of that.

[Corinne]

So that's Coral Castle, how crazy that is. I was like, how did he not ever. I had never heard of it.

[Sabrina]

I'd never heard of it either.

[Corinne]

And it made me a little upset because I was like, oh, how many times have people been around the Miami area And you and I, like, we could have.

[Sabrina]

How rude of you to never tell us about it.

[Corinne]

We could have gone to Coral Castle.

[Sabrina]

This turned into a fight with all.

[Corinne]

Of you, our listeners. Why don't you tell us about every single paranormal thing or weird anomaly that ever existed?

[Sabrina]

I guarantee someone's like, I emailed you this.

[Corinne]

Oh, probably.

[Sabrina]

But they didn't because I did search our inbox for it. I have a listener story that is about Florida and a castle is involved. Okay, so this is from our listener, Kat. She they. And she says, good morning or afternoon or evening and night ghoulies. I have a few bite sized Florida stories for you lovely ladies.

[Corinne]

Ooh, I like that.

[Sabrina]

I want to start by saying how much I adore y' all in this podcast. And upon hearing the latest listener stories, encounters 263, I had the call to send you pics of my sweet baby reptiles and my fluffy babies too. I thought this was as good a time as any to send some of my creepy tales as well.

[Corinne]

You know what that just reminded me of is, do you remember years ago on Facebook, in one of the episodes, we were talking about how we love, like, animals, little shiny lips and how someone created a Facebook thread and we just had like, hundreds of pictures of people showing their, like, reptiles or, like, cats or dogs. All the, like, little shiny lips.

[Sabrina]

Little lips.

[Corinne]

Oh, it was so wonderful.

[Sabrina]

Leah's been waking me up every morning with lots of licks. It's been like the best thing in the world.

[Corinne]

Exfoliation.

[Sabrina]

Yeah, just rough tongue. Okay, so Kat is sharing stories from growing up in Central Florida, from seeing a gnome at Bok Tower. What? Which apparently Kat shared in campfire stories. To seeing the skunk ape, which is their Bigfoot.

[Corinne]

Wait, why don't I remember the story about the gnome? Is that there?

[Sabrina]

I don't remember it either. I mean, this was sent last year. And ghosts in the St. Augustine lighthouse. So let's start with. She definitely meant Corinne, but she said Sabrina's bff. Bigfoot. Boyfriend. Friends. As a child teen, my family would drive to Bonita Springs every summer to visit my great aunt. One year, we made a little day trip a little further south to some of the state parks and preserves closer to the Everglades. My parents are old school, so maps and back roads were preferred over GPS. And at the time, GPS was still fairly new. 2005, the summer before I started middle school, I would always post up in the back of the Suburban with blankets, books, and headphones. Basically turn the whole back row into a bed. On car trips. So there I was, staring out the window on the swampy Florida back roads, and I could have sworn I saw something run through the tree lines.

[Corinne]

Ooh.

[Sabrina]

Now Florida is home to some monkey species, Mostly ones that got away or repopulated after filming movies like Tarzan in the 1940s. But however, this was much bigger than a monkey. We were traveling pretty slowly on these empty back roads. So I was able to watch this large shadowy figure for a while, seemingly running beside us, keeping pace just behind the tree line. Eventually it stopped as we continued on. But the second that spell was broken, I hollered at my mom that I was pretty sure I saw Bigfoot. My mom being the spooky lady she is without missing a beat to, yeah, probably The Skunk Ape. 11 year old me was like, what? I need to know more. So apparently my mom had known stories and knew that part of our drive to the preserve was also places where people have seen the skunk ape and a place where skunk ape research headquarters.

[Corinne]

There's a headquarters?

[Sabrina]

Love. We should look into that.

[Corinne]

Wow. Yeah. Why didn't I think about like actual physical headquarters for looking into the paranormal?

[Sabrina]

I mean, this is a headquarter right here. The two rose, one ghost paranormal headquarters. Let's start calling our studio the headquarters Headquarters.

[Corinne]

Oh, I like that.

[Sabrina]

I like that. I'm going to the headquarters.

[Corinne]

More official.

[Sabrina]

Yeah. Okay. My next story is from an even younger version of myself. I was five or six years old when my family visited St. Augustine. Again, my mom is all about ghosts, and no wonder. That's where I got it. We went on a tour of the lighthouse, which I believe you covered in a previous episode. Most of this comes from my mom retelling me the story because I honestly don't remember much of it. I have vague memories of so many spiral staircases climbing the 219 steps to the top of the lighthouse. However, the ghostly encounter that happened happened in the home on the property. I was a pretty good kid, but of course, if I made a friend, I would run around with them. And so we're on this tour and I had met another little girl and we were playing around while the adults listened to the tour guide talk about the history of the lighthouse. At the time, I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until later, before we left, that I had asked my mom if she had seen my friend because I didn't get to say bye. And I wanted to. Before we left, my mom said she must have already left. But come to find out there were no Other children with us on this tour. I wouldn't find out until I was much older and doing my own research on local haunted locations and brought up our trip there to my mom when she told me. Yeah, so I'm pretty sure when we did that ghost tour, you made friends with a ghost girl there.

[Corinne]

Her mom is so cool because she's so like, oh yeah, you just saw the paranormal, right? It is what it is.

[Sabrina]

And also like, this isn't hurting her, so just let her love her. You just covered your toes.

[Corinne]

I'm so cold.

[Sabrina]

Do you want the whole blanket?

[Corinne]

No, Sven doesn't need it. It's okay. I'll make it through.

[Sabrina]

Okay, so now my last story is I'll leave you with a short ghostly encounter at an amazing little known place in central Florida called the Wonder House. It's located in the small town of Bartow, where I grew up. There's a castle like mansion in the midst of a regular neighborhood that was built in the 1920s. I would absolutely love if you did an episode on it because the house itself is a true wonder and the man behind it, Conrad Schuck, has quite a colorful story. I was lucky enough to strike up a friendship with one of the new owners of the house who she wants to renovate it back to its original splendor and then open it for tours. I was over there one day helping her bake treats for a fall festival. She had gone upstairs to change while I was downstairs kneading dough. And you know that feeling when someone leaves a room and then comes right back? Well, that's what happened. I felt her presence leave the room. But then I felt her come right back in. And so I said out loud, did you forget something? But she doesn't respond. So I turn around and I realize no one is there. But that feeling lingered, like someone is in the room with me. So I said, hey, Conrad, if that's you, I love your house, bud, and I'm cool with you hanging out, but please don't sneak up on me. I have so many other stories, but until next time, here are some attached reptile tacks. I have two beautiful ball pythons, Artemis and Edus, and a sassy bearded dragon named Aussie. I also have two kitties, Nala and Beerus, and a dog, Rosie, and a hamster, Kimi and some fish. Love you ladies. Keep it spooky. I'll see you on the other side, but hopefully in person again too. I loved your live show in Tampa. Happy Haunts. From Kat, we'll add the Reptiles.

[Corinne]

That was a lot of encounters. Like to see Bigfoot, to make friends with the ghost girl on tour. Like, I feel like just everything you would hope could happen to you in a spot paranormal wise is happening to.

[Sabrina]

Her, which I love.

[Corinne]

Yeah. You were lucky.

[Sabrina]

And I love that you grew up with a family that it was just like, yeah, this is normal.

[Corinne]

Oh, you must have seen this. I love that her mom remembered too. Like, it wasn't just like, oh, that was, you know, like something to brush under the rug or whatever for. Or like, we'll forget about that. She had an imaginary friend at the ghost store. Like her mom years later was like, yeah, you definitely were making friends with a. Yeah. Spirit.

[Sabrina]

And I also love that she didn't want to say anything in the moment because she was like, why ruin her experience? Cat's experience. Let her just have fun with the ghost kid.

[Corinne]

Yeah. Because then like, how, how scared could you be after that? And also I feel like it would when you're that young too. Like, it would either make you so scared or question your reality where it's like.

[Sabrina]

And make you mad and be like, what do you mean? I literally was playing with a kid.

[Corinne]

Yeah. And then the next time you make a friend, you're like, are they dead or alive?

[Sabrina]

That would wreck your reality. Yes. But if your reality has been wrecked by the paranormal, you like that transition.

[Corinne]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Send us your encounters. Email them to us at 2girls1gospodcastmail.com Let us know what you think about the coral castle.

[Corinne]

And also, how did Ed do it?

[Sabrina]

If you think you know actual, like, prove it by doing it.

[Corinne]

Yes. Yes. Don't just make it more riddles. Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Will only take real physical proof of you doing it yourself.

[Corinne]

You need to move with the same tools that he was able to gather himself. Ed, you need to move a two, three.

[Sabrina]

Oh, nothing.

[Corinne]

Was two tons.

[Sabrina]

I was like, if you can do two. Well, no. Weren't like the lightest ones two tons?

[Corinne]

No, they're three. Oh, shit.

[Sabrina]

Okay. You have to move at least a 3 ton stone by yourself. If you can do that, great.

[Corinne]

Your next challenge though will be a 30 ton stone. Yes.

[Sabrina]

We dare you.

[Corinne]

I don't think our listeners are interested in doing this.

[Sabrina]

Everyone's like knitting while they're listening. I'm petting their cat.

[Corinne]

Got a family of crafters.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

Yeah.

[Sabrina]

Very different.

[Corinne]

We've got Boulder Heavers.

[Sabrina]

Two girls, one. Ghost listeners are not Boulder Heavers. And maybe you are.

[Corinne]

I don't know.

[Sabrina]

Let us know if you are, then prove it.

[Corinne]

Show us your muscles. Take your shirt off. Sorry, that was harassment. You know what?

[Sabrina]

If you do it, that's your choice. Yes, but you don't have a choice. Please send us your listener stories and if you do want to get episodes one week early and ad free and bonus content and campfire stories where you can come and share your ghost stories live. You can join us on Patreon. There's lots of fun over there. We also have witch classes like book club. It's a party.

[Corinne]

Shout out to Whoa. I almost said Amy Ryan. Jamie, you have a new alien. Shout out to Jamie Ryan and Emma La Venter who help produce the podcast, edit social media, help us just live and move forward. We love you all and we will see you on the other side.

[Sabrina]

Very spooky.

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