10 Facts That Prove Florida Is America's Craziest State
3. Hollow Earth Cult Estero
Many years ago, around 1894, another strange man named Cyrus Teed got ahold of 394 acres of land in Estero, Florida. Cyrus, who renamed himself Koresh, led a group of individuals in establishing a new religion around him, which was called Koreshanity. Remember another weird cult leading Koresh from Texas? Cyrus purported a Hollow Earth theory, believing that the Earth is a hollow sphere and that we inhabit the inside, held to it by a centrifugal force. Oh, and the sun is powered by batteries and the moon is an illusion. His Hollow Earth theory works as both pseudo-science and religion. Surprisingly enough, Cyrus finds followers to go with him to Florida to establish their commune. Estero, Florida was selected because after expert calculations it was determined that it is the bellybutton of Earth. The commune was so successful that by 1910 they were producing their own electricity and selling it to neighbouring towns. However, Cyrus died in 1908 and the leadership declined. Eventually, the last four members of the cult sold the land back to the State of Florida who turned it into a State Park where people can fish, picnic and tour the grounds.
