As many people in Estero may know, Koreshan State Park is rich with native flora and fauna like live oaks, palms, and slash pines, mixed with some historic plantings like jacaranda and eucalyptus (Florida State Parks). Additionally, Koreshan State Park offers activities such as canoeing, kayaking, fishing, camping, historical walks, and farmer’s markets. Their wildlife consists of gopher tortoises which are a keystone species in SWFL. Koreshan also accommodates alligators, river otters, manatees, and dolphins (Florida State Parks).

Moreover, Koreshan State Park has an interesting history. In 1896 a physician named Cyrus Teed, also known as Koresh, started a cult called The Koreshan Unity. With the help of his many followers, he bought 320 acres of land from a man named Gustave Damkohler.  With this they built a new town which they believed to be their “New Jerusalem”. It took nine years for the people of Koreshan to clear the land and to begin building their town.  They managed to cultivate crops and develop an infrastructure to support around 200 people at the time. In the early 1900s Koreshan had over 70 buildings built and 70 acres of land cleared (Florida State Parks).

When he was in his 30s, Cyrus Teed practiced medicine until he experienced what he called his “Divine Illumination” which he believed came from an angel. From there he began his work with the Koreshan Unity.  He believed that the celibate lifestyle they practiced gave them immortality and that equality existed between men and women. Women found this very attractive, which resulted in females making up about 70-75% of the total population (Florida State Parks).

However, in 1906 Cyrus Teed died, and as a result, the entire community started to deteriorate. For years his followers held nightly watchers over his grave on Fort Myers Beach waiting for him to rise again, until an unnamed hurricane destroyed the mausoleum in October 1921 (Florida State Parks). By 1961, there were only 5 members left in the area, and they then donated the land to the state of Florida for it to be a historical site (Friends of Koreshan State Park).

Undoubtedly, Koreshan State Park is truly a distinct Florida treasure. It seamlessly combines rich ecological offerings and recreational activities with the unique history of the Koreshan Unity. Preserving everything from gopher tortoises to the original buildings of Cyrus Teed’s utopian “New Jerusalem,” the park invites visitors to explore both the compelling natural beauty of Estero and the strange, yet enduring, narrative of a 19th-century communal vision.

Header Photo: Art Hall – Estero, Florida. 1910 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/9017>, accessed 24 November 2025.

Teed Photo: 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 25 November 2025.

Written by By FGCU Students Jamie Sinclair and Nicolas Martinez