Koreshan Unity Settlement

Back in the late 1800’s, utopian communities were all the rage and formed in various parts of the country. These communities provided security after the problems from the Civil War. The Koreshan community was formed in Florida near Fort Myers with some good and bad points. Women were equals with a women’s council providing leadership to the group. The community ran several progressive businesses to make money such as the only printing company in the area and even produced and supplied electricity locally. The community was cultured with interesting gardens, white table-cloth meals, and plays, musicals, and concerts performed regularly.

Yet, celibacy was expected for the most faithful, which made it difficult for the long time viability of the group. The biggest thing was their belief in “the hollow earth”. Supposedly, the earth is hollow and we all live on the inside surface. Gravity didn’t exist though the spin of the earth kept us to the surface. The sun is battery operated in the center of the earth and moves through reflections, refractions, and other explanations. The interesting part to me was how long some of the followers believed this. The last living member made this comment when asked if she still believed we lived inside the earth “I did until the boys landed on the moon. When that happened, I knew it couldn’t possibly be true.”