Dr. Cyrus Reed Teed, founder of the Koreshan Universology, was
born Oct. 18, 1839 in Teedsville, N.Y. Teed studied medicine,
with his uncle in 1859 and had his 'illumination' in 1869. 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 with all life on
its inner surface. For them, the earth is practically stationary
with the sun at the center of a the sphere and revolving once in
24 hrs. Teed moved from New York to Chicago with his followers
and established a communal life 1886. His following grew to
about 200 members and the group began relocating to Estero in
1894. 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 on Dec. 22,
1908, membership of his religious group began to decline.
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