The campground is a bit iffy for RVs – very narrow sites and
often the fire pit is in the middle of the space you want to park your RV. The
restrooms are mediocre and the dump stations satisfactory. I never found any
dog bags, and the dumpsters were overflowing. We weren’t particularly impressed
with the campground, but the historic site was very interesting and well
renovated.
We chose Koreshan so we could be near Fort Myers, where we
would visit my former boss and friend, Helen Hendry, who just celebrated her 82nd
birthday, and visit the Edison-Ford Winter Estates. Helen is a landscape
architect and was grandfathered in when a license became mandatory in Florida
during the 1960’s. She began working at Everglades Nursery when she was 12 and
never has worked any place else. She
married the founder’s son and when he retired, ran the nursery for years. Upon
his death, the nursery was sold, about four years after I left for Gainesville.
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| Kapok Tree in Fort Myers |
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| Helen, Judy, and Frank |
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| Banyan Tree - covers about 1 acre! |
.JPG) |
| Bouganvillea - about 50' tall and 70 years old |
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| Sausage Tree |
Helen is a well-known and well-respected figure in the area
and is on the board of trustees of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. We were
lucky enough to have Chris Pendleton, President and CEO of the non-profit
organization which operates the historic attraction, begin a personal tour
until she had to leave for a meeting with the Fort Myers City Council, when
Helen took over to give us a guided tour of the estates Friday and Saturday
mornings. We enjoyed lunch with Helen and to Since that time, many needed renovations
have been made: plants are being fertilized and pruned, the homes were repaired
and are now in beautiful shape, and the museum displays have been updated. I’d
love to have a copy of Seminole Lodge build somewhere in the country – it’s a
delightful open floor plan with lots of windows and French doors. Edison’s lab
is pretty much as it was left after it was closed down by Firestone after
Edison’s death.
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| Coconut Palms on the Caloosahatchee River |
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| Edison's Winter Estate |
Koreshan is an interesting park, in spite of the less than
great accommodations. There is a nature trail that runs along the Estero River,
which runs along two sides of the campground. Estero Bay Preserve State Park is
open daily and the Koreshan historic settlement located in the park is an
interesting place to visit.
From the park brochure, we learn that “The historic area was
founded as a continuation of movement started in Moravia, New York in 1880 by
Dr. Cyrus R. Teed. His utopian community of 200 followers often had to contend
with an unfriendly and hostile society because of their religious, scientific,
and cultural beliefs. Koresh is the
Hebrew translation for Cyrus, meaning shepherd.
“The colonists believed the entire universe existed within a
great, hollow sphere. They conducted experiments that seemed to confirm their
beliefs.
“Encouraged by their visionary leader, the industrious
Koreshans built and operated a printing facility, boat works, cement works,
sawmill, bakery, store, and hostlery. Education, science, and art also helped
shape their community. Education served
an important role, not only for the children, but also for the adult members.
Artistic endeavors included producing plays and musicals, and creating
elaborate Victorian gardens.
“After the death of Dr. Teed in 1908 at the age of 69,
membership of his religious group began to decline. In 1961, the four remaining
members deeded 305 acres of the land to the State of Florida as a park and
memorial. The Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District is on the National
Register of Historic Places. “
Unless we want to go back to Ft. Myers, we probably won’t
return to this campground.
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