South Lee History

Estero's most interesting attraction might just be it's rich and unusual history. The community's name is derived from a Spanish word for "pretty." Once a fishing village that sold salted fish to Cuban traders, it was developed after resident Braxton Bragg sold 6,000 acres to a group of Tennessee investors in 1912.

Another example of the area's unusual beginnings involves the founder of an 1894 settlement on the Estero River — Dr. Cyrus Teed — who received much attention for his strong beliefs in the equality of men and women, celibacy even between married couples, and communal living. He also believed the Earth was hollow and all of humanity lived inside, with the sun at its center.

Teed, who had changed his name to Koresh — Hebrew for Cyrus — founded the Koreshan Unity in Chicago. As Unity membership grew, he chose Lee County as the location for his utopian dream called New Jerusalem. In the 1890s, he and other followers — known as Koreshans — began construction of the settlement that was to become a large communal city.

The commune incorporated in 1905 and was, at the time, one of the largest cities in this area of the state. Later, the Florida legislature decided that it gave the religious community too much power and rescinded the incorporation.

Today, the state park named for Koresh preserves 11 of the original buildings. Ranger-guided walks are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays, and a botanical tour is conducted Thursdays.