A cult in Ft. Myers? Really? This is the true story of the Koreshans, a community founded by Cyrus Teed in his Quest for Utopia. In 1868, while working on an electrical experiment, Teed, a physician and scientist of sorts, was stunned and fell unconscious. When he awoke, he stated that he had a vision of God in the form of a beautiful woman who told him secrets of the universe and that God was both man and woman. He was told by the vision that he should establish a tranquil community (or a cult) with the beliefs of immortality, celibacy, equality of men and women, and a unique, and somewhat deranged belief that humanity lived in a hollow sphere under which were the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Teed began the Koreshanity religion in New York, then in Chicago, and ultimately on several hundred acres in Estero in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His adherents believed him to be The Messiah who would be immortal and resurrected after death.
The members of the commune reached about 200 men and women, many of whom were scientists, educators, engineers, and thinkers who were attracted to the charismatic leader.
The Estero cult was self-sufficient with a school (one could join even with their children), a bakery, laundry, machine shop, a College of the Hollow Earth theory, an Art Hall, and an orchestra.
Men and women could not marry, must remain celibate and live in separate quarters. Teed felt that sex was the downfall of humanity though he very much “liked” the ladies.
Teed died in 1909 after injuries he received in a scuffle in a bar in Ft. Myers. The community who believed him to be immortal, placed his body in a bath tub to await his resurrection. After a week, with no signs of this, the health inspector stated that he had to be buried. His non- resurrection caused some members to leave the cult, but many remained with the last member dying in 1982.
As you can imagine, his sexless community was ultimately doomed to fail. The last Koreshan finally believed that the Hollow Earth Theory was untrue when she saw the men land on the moon in 1969. Yet she remained there until her death in 1982.
The grounds of the cult were then given to the State of Florida and became a State Park.
Take a tour, guided or unguided, of the park to see the unique and bizarre establishment. Stroll through the park or kayak or picnic or even camp, and stop in to see the Art Hall with its rare Model C Steinway piano with 85 keys. The beautiful Art Hall made of the extinct Florida white pine still has concerts open to the public. If you visit on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can visit the Cast Iron Cafe where you will see docents in period costume and have the delicious sourdough bread made with the original Koreshan recipe.
This Florida State Park with its remarkable, almost unbelievable and interesting background is located at the intersection of route 41 and Corkscrew Road, and is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. until sunset.
Enjoy some intriguing Florida history right in our own back yard.
