Cyrus Reed Teed (October 18, 1839 - December 22, 1908), was an eclectic physician who was the creator of a unique Hollow Earth theory and founder of the Koreshan Unity. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The term eclectic applies to a branch of medicine which makes use of herbal remedies. ... The phrase hollow Earth expresses the esoteric idea that the planet Earth has a hollow interior, almost invariably including the idea that it has a habitable inner surface. ... Koreshan Unity is the communal utopia formed by Cyrus Teed, who took the name Koresh, the Hebrew version of his name Cyrus. ...

As a young physician, Teed was always interested in unconventional experiments, often involving dangerously high levels of electricity. One day, during an experiment he was badly shocked, and passed out. During his period of unconsciousness, Teed believed he was visited by a divine spirit who told him that he was the messiah. Inspired, once he awakened Teed vowed to apply his scientific knowledge to "redeem humanity." He promptly changed his first name to "Koresh," the Hebrew word for Cyrus. Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ Standard Hebrew Arabic: , المسيح), Tiberian Hebrew , Aramaic ) initially meant any person who was anointed to a certain position among the ancient Israelites, at first that of High priest, later that of King and also that of a prophet. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... The name Cyrus (or Kourosh in Persian) may refer to: [[Cyrus I of Anshan]], King of Persia around 650 BC [[Cyrus II of Persia | Cyrus the Great]], King of Persia 559 BC - 529 BC — See also Cyrus in the Judeo-Christian tradition Cyrus the Younger, brother to the Persian king...

Some believe that the heavy dose of electricity Teed absorbed may have damaged his brain. Indeed, following his "divine visit" Teed's scientific theories began to get increasingly odd. He denounced the idea that the Earth revolved around the sun and instead pioneered his own theory of the Universe, known as the Cellular Cosmogony. According to this theory, human beings live on the inside of the planet, not the outside. Gravity thus does not exist, and humans are held in place due to centrifugal force. The sun is a giant battery-operated contraption, and the stars mere refractions of its light. Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... Centrifugal force (from Latin centrum center and fugere to flee) is a term which may refer to two different forces which are related to rotation. ... The Sun (Latin: Sol) is the star at the center of the Solar System. ...

Though denounced by many, Teed's ideas, called Koreshanity caught on with others. Koreshanity preached cellular cosmogony, alchemy, reincarnation, immortality, celibacy, communism, and a few other radical ideas. Teed started preaching Koreshanity in the 1870s in New York, forming the Koreshan Unity, later moving to Chicago. Teed's followers formed a commune in Chicago in 1888. Some followers also formed a short-lived community in San Francisco (1891-2). Small church groups existed in other towns. Koreshanity is the set of religious/scientific beliefs put forth by Cyrus Teed. ... Koreshan Unity is the communal utopia formed by Cyrus Teed, who took the name Koresh, the Hebrew version of his name Cyrus. ...

Eventually, Teed took his followers to a small Florida town named Estero, to form his "New Jerusalem" in 1894. The 'golden age' for this community was 1903-1908, when they had over 250 residents and incorporated Estero. They built extensively, establishing a bakery, printing house (publishing their newspaper and other publications), their "World College of Life", a general store, concrete works, power plant (that supplied power to the surrounding area years before it was available elsewhere in the region) and more. The colony was extensively landscaped with exotic tropical plantings. They tried to run several candidates for county government against the local Democratic Party but were never successful. After Teed died in 1908 (after being beaten by the town marshall), the group went into decline. Because one of the beliefs of the Koreshans was in re-incarnation, they thought their leader would come back to life, and instead of burying him, propped him up in a bath tub. After several days, local health officials stepped in and forced the burial of Teed. Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Estero is a census-designated place located in Lee County, Florida. ...

External links

• Koreshan State Historic Site, official web page.
• Unofficial Koreshan State Historic Site, unofficial web page.
• American Communal Utopias and The Koreshan Unity: A Bibliography Brief overview and great bibliography of works, if slightly dated.
• Turning the Universe Inside-Out: Ulysses Grant Morrow's Naples Experiment Examination of the Naples Experiment, and why it failed.
• The Startling Testimony of Plumb-Lines Earlier experiments of Ulysses Grant Morrow
• Catherine A. Anthony Ohnemus- Dr. Cyrus Teed and the Koreshan Unity Movement
• Biography of Cyrus Reed Teed