Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
State Archives of Florida
- ArchivesFlorida.com
- State Archives Online Catalog
- ArchivesFlorida.com
- ArchivesFlorida.com
State Library of Florida
Related Sites
Listen: The Assorted Selections ProgramKoreshan Unity president Hedwig Michel on the back steps of Planetary Court at the Koreshan State Historic Site park in Estero, Florida.
Image Number
Date Note
Rights
Collection
N2009- 3, Papers, ca 1887-1990; Box 1, folder 6
Subject Term
Personal Subjects
Corporate Subject
Physical Description
General Note
Dr. Cyrus R. Teed's utopian community of 200 followers began relocating from Chicago, Illinois to Florida in 1894. Dr. Teed took the name "Koresh," the Hebrew translation for Cyrus, meaning shepherd. The colonists believed that the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. The Koreshans built and operated a printing facility, boat works, cement works, sawmill, bakery, store and hostelry. After the death of Dr. Teed in 1908 at the age of 69, membership of his religious group began to decline. In 1961, the four remaining members deeded 305 acres of their land to the state of Florida as a park and memorial. The Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District, a.k.a. Koreshan Unity State Park, was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Biographical Note
Hedwig Michel was born in Frankfurt, Germany on March 29, 1892. She became president of Koreshan Unity in 1960 upon the death of president Laurie Bubbett.
Order Prints
Please select the size and options
Order Scan
Please select the size and options