The new enterprise-JanuThe champion-June 14, 1906 However, you can still visit their settlement, which is now Koreshan State Park. Estero appears to be making a comeback, but the Koreshans no longer exist. A story for a longer post, Estero continued to exist even after Teed’s death and non-resurrection in 1908. By 1904, they were “able to incorporate 110 square miles into the Town of Estero” (Estero). According to the village website, “Estero’s most noted pioneer was Cyrus Teed, leader of the Koreshan Unity.” The Koreshans moved to the area from Chicago in the 1890s to found what they called their “New Jerusalem” to escape the persecution and ridicule they faced in the city. The Ocala Star-MaThe Ocala evening star-November 13, 1903Įstero, Florida is another fascinating ghost town. According to an article from Ocala Style, the post office in the town operated from “1873 until 1955, then moved to Citra.” Today there’s a boat ramp at the Eureka Dam that offers access to the Ocala National Forest. The Ocala evening star-MaThe Ocala evening star-The Ocala evening star-October 15, 1910Įureka, Florida, in Lake County, is another town with a rather striking name. The Shakespearean nature of their names caught our eye and we were able to locate stories and advertisements about both towns. Romeo, Florida and Juliette, Florida were both towns in Marion County that were a few miles apart from each other. That said, some of these towns have fascinating histories worth discussing. Economic downturns, agricultural failure, depletion of natural resources, and disaster all contribute to towns shifting from booming cultural centers to shadows of their former selves. Why are there so many ghost towns in Florida? Christopher Strain explains that the waves of development in the state result in a “spatial and temporal paradox: the more Florida builds and grows, the more it degrades and devolves” (Strain). It’s spooky season once again so we’ve collected more clippings about ghost towns in Florida.
Members of Koreshan Unity dressed for a play- Courtesy of Florida Memory This post was authored by Sarah “Moxy” Moczygemba, the former Outreach and Social Media Assistant for this project.