It wasn't easy to convince my family to come with me and visit the "Koreshan State Historical Site". Actually it did take me days to talk them into it but once there, they did find it "kind of interesting".
But how can you not like a place with a story like that...
Around 1869 Cyrus Teed, a 30 year old doctor claimed to have had a vision, in which he had been told that he was the new messiah. He changed his name to "Koresh (hebrew for the shepherd) and moved with 200 followers from NY to Florida. They believed that they were basically living inside a bubble, that Dr. Cyrus Teed, their messiah was immortal and one should be celibate. They also believed that all races are equal.
The Koreshans were operating a printing facility, a sawmill, a little store and a bakery. Today there are 11 historic buildings left and the park is still a beautiful place to explore and enjoy.
Because they believed in celibacy and weren't able to win new members for their cult, their numbers dwindled. In 1908 when Tweed died the Koreshans were waiting for days to see him resurrect himself. Supposedly the county health department finally made them bury their leader.
In 1961 there were only 4 members still living on the Koreshan Site. They donated the land to the state. When one of the last remaining female members was asked when she realized that Teed wasn't what he claimed to be she said that once Armstrong landed on the moon, she knew there was no way that she was living in a bubble inside the earth.
Koreshan State Park is definitely a cooky place but I found it beautiful and in a weird sense very peaceful. When we were there there were only a few park rangers at the site and it was easy to forget that U.S 41 and a lot of traffic was just around the corner.
Next time I am there I will definitely bring a picnic (lots of nice picnic spots especially along Estero river) and more time!
