Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District, Estero, FL (3)
**Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 76000599, date listed 5/4/1976
U.S. 41 at Estero River
Estero, FL (Lee County)
The Koreshan Unity has been described by one of its members as a "commonwealth, conforming to the ancient Christian communal life" (Michel, "A Gift to the People"). The movement was founded in the latter part of the nineteenth century by Dr. Cyrus Teed and reached its fruition in the first decade of the twentieth century at Estero, Florida.
During the 1870's and 1880's. Dr. Teed (who had begun to refer to himself as the prophet Cyrus) attracted some followers with his ideas on healing and his beliefs about the nature of the universe. In 1886, he moved to Chicago where he succeeded in making more converts. An organization for prospective members, the Society Arch Triumphant, was formed in 1887, and in 1888, a cooperative home for members of the Church and a publishing house for dissemination of information about the movement were established in Chicago. By that time, Cyrus Teed was using the name Koresh, derived from Cyrus in the Hebrew language, and was rapidly developing his theories.
In 1893, Dr. Teed decided to establish what was originally intended as a branch colony, and in the fall of that year he visited the Ft. Myers area of Florida in search of a site for his new settlement. Within a few months, he received a donation of land on the Estero River from a German settler named Gustave Damkohler and soon a nucleus of colonists arrived there to begin to construct a community. In spite of the difficulties presented by climate, terrain, and insects, a few buildings were constructed at the settlement in the first two years. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg...
Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District, Estero, FL (3)
**Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 76000599, date listed 5/4/1976
U.S. 41 at Estero River
Estero, FL (Lee County)
The Koreshan Unity has been described by one of its members as a "commonwealth, conforming to the ancient Christian communal life" (Michel, "A Gift to the People"). The movement was founded in the latter part of the nineteenth century by Dr. Cyrus Teed and reached its fruition in the first decade of the twentieth century at Estero, Florida.
During the 1870's and 1880's. Dr. Teed (who had begun to refer to himself as the prophet Cyrus) attracted some followers with his ideas on healing and his beliefs about the nature of the universe. In 1886, he moved to Chicago where he succeeded in making more converts. An organization for prospective members, the Society Arch Triumphant, was formed in 1887, and in 1888, a cooperative home for members of the Church and a publishing house for dissemination of information about the movement were established in Chicago. By that time, Cyrus Teed was using the name Koresh, derived from Cyrus in the Hebrew language, and was rapidly developing his theories.
In 1893, Dr. Teed decided to establish what was originally intended as a branch colony, and in the fall of that year he visited the Ft. Myers area of Florida in search of a site for his new settlement. Within a few months, he received a donation of land on the Estero River from a German settler named Gustave Damkohler and soon a nucleus of colonists arrived there to begin to construct a community. In spite of the difficulties presented by climate, terrain, and insects, a few buildings were constructed at the settlement in the first two years. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg...