Connor Caruso, Grant Allen
Department of English, Florida Gulf Coast
ENC 1102: College Composition II
Professor Wright
October 3, 2025

During the late 1800s, a man named Cyrus Teed founded the Koreshan Unity, a religious group. Teed experienced what he thought was a spiritual vision. After this, he changed his name to Koresh, which meant “Cyrus the great”.Soon after his name change, he began teaching concepts that were significantly different from those of the traditional beliefs of his time. The central idea of the group was called cellular cosmogony. This was the idea that people living on Earth were inside it, rather than on its outer crust. This was a belief that stated the universe was trapped inside a shell.

The Koreshans also followed strict rules governing their day-to-day lives. They believed in communal living, which means that property was shared among everybody, so there was no private property. They also believed  in celibacy, which meant that the people within the society were not supposed to get married or have children. One more ideology that they subscribed to was the equality between men and women. During that time, women did not have fair rights and were not assigned essential roles within any society. The Koreshans rejected that belief and granted women leadership roles, treating them as equals to men.

During the 1890s, they relocated their society to Estero, Florida. They had previously moved from upstate New York into Chicago, Illinois. They did this to build the “ideal community”. Estero was intended to be a place where the Koreshans could roam without interference from the rest of the world. Within Estero, they built a well-formed community. They had everything they could ever need, including a general store, a sawmill, a printing press, a bakery, and landscaped gardens. They considered their community to be the start of a “new Jerusalem“. This meant that it was a city that was peaceful and holy, and would serve as an example of a superior society compared to the rest of the world. The life lived within the society was very organized. There was no private property, and everyone contributed to all the work that needed to be done. They primarily focused on education, the arts, and culture. They even conducted plays alongside concerts and lectures to teach their members. This may sound pretty fine and dandy, but it was, in fact, not. The rules they enforced were strict, and the celibacy aspect was challenging for many members to follow. Despite the struggles, they managed to achieve success for a brief period.

Around 1903, the movement was at its peak. At that time, there were approximately 250 people living in Estero. But things took a turn for the worst after Cyrus Teed passed away in the year 1908. He had previously claimed that he was the “divine figure” and even said that he would never die. Because of this, his death created significant confusion and a lot of disappointment within the community. Without the community’s leader, they began to shrink rapidly, with fewer people joining and many leaving.

Only a small number of the society’s members remained by the mid-20th century. Hedwig Michel was one of the last known members of the society. She decided to preserve the history of the society, instead of trying to continue it. She decided to donate the settlement to the state of Florida so that it would be remembered. To this day, the old Koreshan community remains part of the Koreshan State Historic Site, located near the city of Estero. Anyone who visits can walk through the original buildings and even have the chance to see their gardens, learning about this unique group of people. Although they no longer exist as a religious movement, they are remembered as one of the many utopian communities established within the United States during the 19th century. All these communities were attempting to reform society in their own ways, and the Koreshans were no exception. Their story is a constant reminder that human beings have always sought and will continue to seek better and more efficient ways to live. The Koreshan community within Estero will always remain a part of American history and will continue to be an example of when people have tried to turn their big ideas into reality.

Reference 

Anderson, L. (n.d.). The Koreshan Unity. Koreshan State Historic Site. https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/koreshan-state-park

Image Credit: Poster showing the Earth we inhabit. 1960 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/258049>, accessed 9 October 2025.
Dr. Cyrus R. Teed, founder of the Koreshan Unity – Chicago, Illinios. 1886 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/150087>, accessed 9 October 2025.
Hedwig Michel at the Koreshan State Historic Site – Estero, Florida. 1970 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/117432>, accessed 9 October 2025.