Right around the turn of the century, about the time American households just began to get electricity, there existed an unusual utopian religious community in Southwest Florida, settled by a group known as the Koreshans.
Their leader was Dr. Cyrus Teed, who changed his name to “Koresh” after experiencing his “divine illumination,” during which the eclectic physician and alchemist claimed he was visited by God in the form of a beautiful woman. The Koreshan Unity regarded Teed as the new Messiah and worked together to build the New Jerusalem in Estero, about 20 miles south of Fort Myers.
The surviving infrastructure of the community, which had its peak from 1903-1908 with 200 residents, can be seen during a visit to Koreshan State Park. While the laundry facilities and Koreshan Dining Hall are no more, modern-day visitors can see the “Founder’s House,” Art Hall, Planetary Court, bakery, general store, machine shop, gardens and several cottages that have stood the test of time.
The core tenet of Koreshanity is that the earth is a hollow sphere that we all live inside. In addition, Teed promoted equality among women and men, communalism and celibacy. Members largely eschewed personal possessions and shared everything. A group of seven women formed the Planetary Council to govern Koreshan Unity with Teed as their leader.
Despite the community’s fringe ideas, the utopian village thrived for several years, producing 500-600 loaves of bread in a day, providing travelers with goods in the general store and distributing magazines made on the Koreshan printing press. A staff of six could do the laundry for all 200 members in 11 hours.
Starting in 1916, the settlement had a generator that provided electricity to the surrounding community long before many Floridians had power. Machine shops could produce materials needed for the commune.
The Koreshans also had no shortage of learning and enrichment for younger members who would learn about construction, baking and music, then produce shows with handmade costumes in the Art Hall. Outdoor concerts were held on Bamboo Landing right along the Estero River, while gardens were built as places for quiet reflection and connection with nature.
As quickly as the dreams for this Koreshan utopia came together, they fell apart just as quickly. Teed died in 1908 at age 69, just a few days before Christmas. His followers kept his body above ground for five days, believing he would resurrect or reincarnate. When the county health inspector stepped in, they placed Teed in a mausoleum where his body remained until it was washed out to sea by a hurricane in 1921.
Members splintered into other groups or became disillusioned with their belief system in the years following Teed’s death, causing a steady decline in the Koreshan Unity.
Hedwig Michel joined in 1940 after fleeing Nazi Germany and was one of the few remaining members who deeded 305 acres of their community to the State of Florida in 1961, preserving the land as a historic site.
Michel, the last Koreshan, lived in the Planetary Court until her death in 1982 and is now buried on the grounds where visitors can see her gravesite.
Though believers of Koreshanity are resigned to the pages of history, the community’s legacy lives on in a pristine park where visitors can camp, paddle the Estero River and learn about the unique history of the Koreshan Unity.
If you go: Koreshan State Park is open 8 a.m. until sunset daily (historic settlement is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) at 3800 Corkscrew Road in Estero. Admission is $5 per vehicle. Guided historic tours are available on select dates. Sixty campsites are available for overnight visitors with reservations. Leashed, well-behaved pets are welcome in the park. For more information, call 239-992-0311 or visit floridastateparks.org or friendsofkoreshan.org.
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