Shownotes Transcript
The Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, Florida is one of the most peculiar historic sites in the American South. This state park showcases the life of Dr. Cyrus Teed, the founder of Koreshanity. Those who joined this religious and scientific movement sought immortality through celibacy and believed the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. The Koreshan Unity has been dubbed “one of the most bizarre” communal utopian societies organized in the 19th century. They were forced to relocate several times until they found a permanent home in the swamplands of southwest Florida.
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Recommended Reading
The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet) by Lyn Millner
Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage) by Jeff Guinn
Episode Sources
WGCU Gulf Coast Life): The connection between Cyrus Teed and the Koreshans and David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. March 14, 2023.
The Koreshnans): Archives of former holdings of the Koreshan State Historic Site.
Florida State Parks): Koreshan State Historic Site
World Religious and Spirituality Project): Koreshans by Lyn Millner
WGCU:) Florida History: Koreshan Unity: A Quest for Utopia | Untold Stories | Florida History
US Department of the Interior): Preserving America’s Utopian Dream, 2001. “Dr. Cyrus Teed and the Koreshan Unity Movement” by Catherine Anthony Ohnemus.
Florida Rambler:) Koreshan State Park is Florida’s strangest historic site. August 3, 2024.
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.