Koreshan Unity Settlement on the grounds of Koreshan State Historic Site in
However, “the central justification for Teed’s leadership and view of life”4 came, in 1869, in the form of a supposed mystical experience that Teed called his “divine illumination.” In his vision, he claimed to see God in the form of a beautiful woman who revealed to him the secrets of the universe and told him that “he would interpret the symbols of the Bible for the scientific age.”5 Furthermore, in 1891, Teed took on the pseudonym “Koresh” from the book of Isaiah 44:28, which states, “I am the Lord . . . who says of Cyrus, ‘he is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose.’”6 This was the basis upon which Teed formed the tenets of “Koreshan Universology.”
As a precursor to forming his own communal
society, Teed joined the North Family of Shakers at
Teed had aspirations of building “The New Jerusalem” where he expected his
following to grow to 10 million. He,
initially, considered land in St. James City, Florida, but, at a cost of
$150,000, Teed returned to
Between 1904 and 1908, with a population of approximately 250 members, the Unity in Estero was at its height. The Koreshans were remarkably prolific— fashioning homes, businesses, and industries that allowed them to be a self-sustaining community. They began by building a log house with a thatched roof, shortly after their arrival in 1894, and an immense, three-story community dining hall two years later.8 By this time, the Koreshans had their own sawmill, and the “Master’s House,” a home for Teed, followed shortly after the dining hall. Eventually, Koreshan enterprise was flourishing;9 a boatworks, steam laundry, printing house, concrete works, post office, and general store were all located on the grounds. The “risin’ bread” baked in the Koreshan Bakery was sold in the general store and became a choice commodity of the local public. Also frequented by the public were the many plays and band concerts put on by members of the Unity in their “Art Hall” auditorium. Moreover, from 1916 until 1946, the Koreshans generated their own electricity to electrify the community as well as selling it to homes in the surrounding area.
Ironically, the mounting prosperity of the community inadvertently brought about its decline. In 1904, the Koreshans sought to incorporate the Unity and surrounding area into a city.10 However, area landowners rejected the idea fearing an increased tax burden. Nonetheless, in September 1904, a compromise was made leaving the opposing landowners unincorporated while the Unity and some other adjacent lands, totaling 110 square miles, became the town of “Estero.”
Estero’s incorporation entitled the
town to county road tax funds.
Compounded by the prejudicial views of the surrounding society toward
the Koreshans’ communistic way of life, resentment began to emerge on the part
of the neighboring City of
One aspect of Teed’s 1869 “illumination” was that, upon physical death, he would reincarnate and reemerge immortal.14 Accordingly, in the days immediately following Teed’s death, the Koreshans awaited his resurrection. Moreover, members within the Koreshan Unity Settlement practiced celibacy and had been promised by Teed that they, too, would become immortal upon his resurrection.15 Therefore, by the time Christmas Day had come and gone, hope turned to disappointment, and, on December 27th, the county health officer ordered that the body be interred.16
Disillusionment immediately took a
toll on the Unity. Younger members began
to leave,17 and, dividing into
factions, “a power struggle ensued as to who would succeed Koresh as head of
the Unity.”18 Unpredictably, though, the supposed
persistent faith19 of about three-dozen members sustained the
community, to an extent, for the next 30 years.
In 1940, 35 elderly members remained;20 It was at this time that a Jewish woman named
Hedwig Michel, having just fled Nazi Germany, arrived at the Unity. Over the next two years, Michel proceeded to
reorganize the Koreshan General Store, adding a restaurant, a
The settlement became the Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. 11 of the community’s buildings now remain within Koreshan State Historic Site and house a collection of approximately 5,000 artifacts. Two of the buildings have been restored with a third slated to begin in August 2001. The park’s official website is located at <myflorida.com>, and a virtual tour of the site, along with additional information, can be found at <koreshanshs.tripod.com>.
Ethnography—communities, ethnic groups
1 Howard David Fine, The Koreshan Unity: The Early
Utopian Community (Unpublished), 1.
2 Peter Hicks, Cyrus Teed (Unpublished), 1.
3 Jane Hogg, Conversation with Catherine
4 Howard David Fine, The Koreshan Unity: The Early
5 Peter Hicks, Cyrus Teed (Unpublished), 2.
6 Howard David Fine, The Koreshan Unity: The Early
7 Peter Hicks, Cyrus Teed (Unpublished), 2.
8 Sara Weber Rea, The Koreshan Story (Estero, FL: Guiding Star Publishing House, 1994), 28-30.
9 Peter Hicks, Cyrus Teed (Unpublished), 6.
10 Sara Weber Rea, The Koreshan Story (Estero, FL: Guiding Star Publishing House, 1994), 50.
11 Elliott J. Mackle, Jr., The Koreshan Unity in
12 Ibid., 116-119.
13 Ibid., 135-142.
14 Ibid., 142; Robert Lynn Rainard, In the Name of Humanity: The Koreshan Unity (Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, 1974), 8.
15 Robert Lynn Rainard, In the Name of Humanity: The Koreshan Unity (Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, 1974), 31.
Catherine Anthony is Curator of the Koreshan State Historic Site for the Florida Park Service at Koreshan State Historic Site in