Representing Utopia: The Case of Cyrus Teed’s Koreshan Unity Settlement

In the late-19th century, impelled by a dissatisfaction with American “competist” values and inspired by a vision of cosmic truth, Dr. Cyrus Teed, known as Koresh, left Chicago with a small group of followers to build their New Jerusalem in the swamplands of Estero Bay, Florida. The central tenet of Koreshanity was that the earth is a hollow sphere, and we live on the inside. This conception of the universe encouraged a theology, political science, and philosophical understanding that stressed the finite, knowable, and internally complete nature of the world. The history and material remains of the Koreshan community are discussed, and the article ends with some reflections on how their utopian project has been, and should be, represented in a modern context. There are political implications in what is chosen to be said or left unsaid about dissenting groups like the Koreshans.