Koreshan State Historic Site

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The ghost of Cyrus Teed and his followers are said to haunt this state park and museum, waiting for their leader to resurrect. In 1869, the Chicago doctor changed his name to Koresh and developed a new religion in which he was the Messiah. In 1894 Teed brought his followers here and built a commune, the Koreshan Unity. Teed died in 1908, and his followers waited for him to resurrect. After 3 weeks, the health department forced them to dispose of the body. It was placed in a mausoleum on the beach, but washed out to sea during a hurricane years later. The last Koreshan died in 1982, and many say their spirits are still here watching over their land. Witnesses have reported shadow people who disappear on the trails, unexplained voices in the buildings, and floating orbs of light.

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Geographic Information

Address:
3800 Corkscrew Road
Estero, FL
United States

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GPS:
26.4329949, -81.81537200000002
County:
Lee County, Florida
Nearest Towns:
Estero, FL (0.6 mi.)
San Carlos Park, FL (2.5 mi.)
Three Oaks, FL (2.9 mi.)
Bonita Springs, FL (6.8 mi.)
Fort Myers Beach, FL (8.3 mi.)
Villas, FL (8.8 mi.)
Cypress Lake, FL (8.9 mi.)
Harlem Heights, FL (9.0 mi.)
Pine Manor, FL (10.4 mi.)
Page Park, FL (10.5 mi.)
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Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.

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Comments (38)

  1. The first time we went to Koreshan, we were walking around the houses. After we looked in the bakery building, I suddenly got very shaky and my throat burned like there was something stuck in it. I chalked it up to the sun and walking around too much. The a few weeks later, we were camping there and when to the ranger’s campfire circle when my kids asked if the place was haunted. The ranger paused and said there is a story that a little girl got poisoned at the bakery and some people (usually women) have complained of symptoms of heart burn and sore throat after being in the bakery. I was blown away, since it’s not a published story and I had never heard about it before. We camp there all the time and we love it, and there is definitely a “feeling” about the place.

    • ahhh I wanted to camp out there sometime soon, but did you experience anything other than that during your stay? please let me know, im interested in staying a night thereeee

    • That’s very interesting the coolest part about that is the fact you had never heard the story before i’m a paranormal investigator and this is going to be my next stop thank you for this information.please email me if you ever see or hear anything or something happens again.

      • Goodluck with your investigation because we were denied investigating there. Obviously the Sate of Fl doesn’t want anyone thinking it’s haunted when we all know it is.

        • marguerite york  |  
          Reply ↓

          Kristy just set up camp there and go investigating thats what i did. when we looked in the windows of the main hall there seemed to be some optical illusions off the glass.

  2. I was camping there from 8/29/14 – 9/1/14 with a party of 4. We all saw something unbelievable! we were riding our bikes and suddenly we all stopped and in the middle of the road there was a perfect square beam of shiny crystals around 6 feet tall and a perfect 4 sided beam with sharp edges just standing there! We were all like, what is that! My friend Vickie got on her bike and rodes next to it, somehow un afraid, and waved her had across the beam to breaK it up instead the beam boved awat from her arm in perfect form!!!!!!!! We were so dumbfounded we were in shock. suddenly it vaporized in a tornado like way. She is still puzzeled why she tried to touch it! We later had two more things happen!. I am really freaked out over this and am trying to make sense of it.

  3. Went here about 2 years ago and knew from the start this place is haunted. There is a grave on site and have a feeling that is why its haunted. I caught EVPs at the women’s building and at the electrical plant. Also felt dizzy while walking around. I asked the park rangers if they experienced any paranormal and they said no. But I knew they would say that.

  4. I love this park. So serene, so spiritual. I have experienced several mystical occurances here. I’m a sensitive and there’s no doubt this place is beautifully haunted.

    • My niece was at the playground in the camp area and she was swinging no other people playing and 2 other swings started swinging with her. So I had her stop and get off. The swings stopped as well. When she started swinging again so did the other 2 swings.

  6. I was here just earlier today, and the strangest thing happened. My friend and I came to take pictures. We parked and walked to the Art Hall and it was fine. We looked into the windows and snapped a few shots before continuing on to the Planetary Court. The minute both of us took the steps up to the front porch we instantly became uneasy. I felt like my stomach went into a knot. I was anxious and on edge for no reason. It was so bad that I couldn’t even look into the windows because I didn’t want to know what was in the house. We quickly walked away, and as soon as we did the feeling went away and we were fine. It was relieving to get away from the house. I took a picture of it just as we left. After exploring the rest of the site, we decided to come back to the house and see if the feeling would return. It did not. I still didn’t like the house, but I was able to look into the windows. I took another picture of the house before leaving the park. Later tonight as I was going through the pictures, I noticed something really odd in the first picture of the house I took. There is a dark shadow figure looking out from the second story window. It is the height and size of a little boy, I’m not sure if there were any children deaths around here but that’d definitely what it is. You can clearly distinguish the difference between the reflection of the trees and this figure too. The shadow is darker, and in front of the outline of the trees. That picture was taken the first time at the house, when I had the uneasy feeling. I compared it to the second picture I took, when I did not feel the same way. There is clearly a difference between the two pictures. The second one shows no signs of a shadow figure in the top window. Coincidence? I don’t think so. This was a weird experience, but I am dying to go back and get to the bottom of it.

  7. Earlier today we went to the park to go to a farmers market with my parents. We decided to take a look around the historic buildings and I had read about this a few days ago that it was haunted. We went into the founders house and looking upstairs my brother and I both saw what seems to be a little ball of light, but we thought we were just paranoid. Then later walking around we came across the grave and after about 40 seconds of standing there in front of it my fathers cell phone started making an odd static noise and no apps or anything were open. The rest of the time I was using an EVP app and there is no doubt that there is a spirtual presence there.

  8. My wife and I go up to this park when ever we are in Florida. I always take pictures of the buildings. in one of the buildings I can always see people in the windows and door way. I have three different pictures with ghost in them from the park.

  9. My Husband and I went to the farmer’s market with no knowledge of the site at all. I realized as soon as I saw the main house that I had had a dream the night before of the house and the second story balconies. Which is an unusual feature. Not sure why….

  10. i stayed here a few years ago and got ran out the first night by ghost winds.. strong winds blew my tents down during the night around 11pm-12am… went to the ranger station the next morning the rangers said there was no winds last night they have meters all over the place… but yet during the night hurricane force winds destroyed my tent tarps and everything..

  11. Me and my friend snuck into the park after hours on a full moon to mess around with a ouiji board. We sat on the porch of the art hall and started to mess around not really believing but it started to move and even told us that they were murdered! Then we both got goosebumps and an uneasy feeling. The candle freaked out and we left real quick. Definilty not doing that again lol.

  12. So a friend of mine went here a few years back before the gate was put up, needless to say we went to the little house and looked in and seen the chair rocking. My friend has a emf reader (I think that’s what they are called), went and got it out of his car, and walked back to the building, the needle on his device went crazy, and when we looked on the thermal screen we seen a perfect blue silhouette of a person rocking in the chair.

  13. We own a vacation condo in Pelican Sound near the Korshan Cemetary and my 3 year old son wakes up on a regular basis between 1 and 3 pm with Nighmares . When I returned recently to our home in Canada I spoke with our house keeper who told me that my Son is seeing ghosts from a nearby Graveyard and that my Son ,like her has the ability to see spirits in complete form . This is a lot to take in and I am concerned that my son will not want to travel back if this continues each time we visit

  14. I tried to do an evp by the grave and it sounded like a door opening and closing and i was trying an app on my phone woth words and holding a cigg in my hand amd it said christensen ciggarette i said you wanna smoke a ciggarette it said wish other things like i said i wanna tske a pickture i opened my camera it said picture also things like murder or cancer amd other stuff id like to camp out there and know if any and what kind of evps people have gotten by the grave and names of people who have lived there

  15. I went there yesterday 4/29/2017 for a beautiful wedding. My hubby and I had to park I’d say a little less than a mile away from the event. When it was close to 9 pm we said our byes then started walking back to our car. I’m very sensitive. I have been ever since I can remember. I use to be able to speak to spirits when I was a child. Anyway… so we started heading back in pitch black darkness besides my hubby’s flashlight on his android device. I kept joking it felt like we were in The Walking Dead or Left for Dead. I started picking up on noises. I felt like someone or something was following us. The feeling was so powerful. I didn’t have the time to look at the buildings so I’m not sure what they are called, but before the locksmith / Pennsylvania metal building.. near the white house that is pushed back a little bit… my hubby and I both heard a door open then quickly close. I wasn’t scared. It didn’t feel dangerous. It’s always so surprising when a ghost decides to make an appearance. I’d definitely love to go back again, but I doubt my hubby would want to.

  16. Cheyenne Hannigan  |  
    Reply ↓

    My husband and I went there in the daytime to take engagement photos. At first we were find, but the closer we got to the buildings the more uneasy I felt about everything. I ultimately asked to stay near the trees and not go inside the houses, so I didn’t read or learn anything about the place. After we went home, I started having bad dreams, and feelings of being followed… the nightmares were always very specific of a large group of shadowy people with one skeletal male apparition in the center who felt like he was the leader. I have a “gift” of seeing beyond the veil and I tend to draw spirits to me who wish to be seen and heard by humans. These ones were very persistent and I started seeing them more and more, even while I was with other people. Eventually I looked up the Koreshan history and learned that not only was the place a known haunted spot, but that the leader of the community had passed and been disposed of in such a way that it made sense why he would appear to me as a skeletal being (the spirits I see always take the shape of how they looked in life, rather than in death).
    Ultimately, I was able to send the spirits away and they returned to Koreshan Park. They were a stubborn bunch though. I don’t think I’ll be going back unless I’d like to talk to them again.

  17. My friend and I used to volunteer at Koreshan for the native plant society. We went at least once a week to water and clean up the native plants. Of course we were able to look around and go into some of the buildings. We even watched the video explaining the origin of the cult. I never heard that it was haunted and was really enjoying the area. We were finishing up on the plants in pots in front of the planetary building. I got kind of a weird feeling and could have sworn I was being watched as we walked away. I turned to look at the second floor and there was a man looking right at me! He was not menacing, but I knew the place was locked, cause we had looked in the doors and windows earlier and it was locked. I mentioned the man to my friend and she said she didn’t doubt me, but didn’t see him. The feeling of being watched has happened to me every time we were near the building. I joked about it, but I know there is at least one spirit in there.

  18. I have been there several times and every time I get A feeling of being watched. This feeling is especially prominent in the founder’s cabin. I sat and watched a video there and I felt a cool breeze swoop in on my right shoulder and I felt as if a person was standing right next to me. I eventually felt an odd sensation on my shoulder as if someone put a hand there. I didnt panic, it felt calm. I tried to whisper to the spirit as other people were there and I made the situation known to my father. I went to the staircase that is blocked as the second floor is for storage and I felt a cold breeze coming from that floor but I knew something was up there. My mother is sensitive so upon our return she said she felt the same sensations. Also the planetary courthouse has an odd feeling to it, every time I walk to it I get the feeling that I am looking for someone or something. Like the spirits are wanting me to find them. One comment on here said she saw a boy in the window, maybe he was trying to play hide and seek with me. That was the only experiences I have had. Eventually I will go back since I live here and try to communicate with the spirits.

  19. My girlfriend and I camped at the state park for four nights in Nov 2018. We experienced some strange events (and didn’t know Koreshan was ‘haunted’ until we got home and started looking online). On the morning of day 2, I had walked to the bathrooms to get myself ready for the day (there is only one building and it’s in the middle of the campground…quite a walk from our
    site). I came back into the site about 20 min later and my girlfriend said, didn’t you hear me talking to you? Were you just here? I said no I just got back. She said someone with my hat/exact outfit/basically me was there a few minutes ago and she was asking ‘me’ questions about where were certain dishes and I didn’t answer. Ok, this just seemed plain weird on its own, not a big deal.

    Early the next morning (pitch dark), my girlfriend had to use the ladies room so walked over, heard the shower running in the building, but all the lights were out. So she went in and turned on the timer light (thinking that person will be happy to have lights back on since the timer ran out). My girlfriend then went into a stall, and heard that person walking by and starting to brush her teeth… my girlfriend cleared her throat to let the other person know she’s not alone in the bathroom. Then a few seconds later my girlfriend went out and there was no one there (I know, maybe they just left… that was my thought. My girlfriend says no way they just left that quickly – they were right there – and that she doesn’t imagine these things).

    And this isn’t an oddity per we, but at midnight, she walked to bathroom again, no one in there, and no one in sight. When she came out there were two people just standing there talking and it startled her – based on her prior experience she decided to say hello to make sure they were actually real (and they did reply 🙂

    On night 4, about 8:00, we were sitting at our campfire bordering the woods (we did have campers on both sides of us, but one was a quiet couple we never saw in an RV, and the other was pretty far away and also quiet). There was no breeze, no noise, just crackling of the fire. My girlfriend’s chair’s back was to the woods and she moved to face the woods, while saying she didn’t feel comfortable with her back to the woods. So now we are both facing the Woods enjoying our fire for a few minutes, then hear a whisper voice right at the edge of the woods
    in the dark. My girlfriend looked at me and I was staring right at the spot it came from, and said did you just hear that? We looked at each other and I said ‘I can’t believe you just said that! Yes! It sounded like a whisper!’ I said at the time (and still believe) it sounded like a woman’s voice saying ‘stay back’. Then a few seconds later (again, no breeze) the fire fluttered a lot, and then about 30 seconds later the neighbor’s dog started barking and ran into the Woods (prior to this we never heard this dog the whole time we were there). We even asked the voice if it could make it’s presence known again.

    During the night I also heard our outside floor mat being slowly pulled in the dirt, and next morning as it was just starting to get light, I was convinced I heard my coffee maker outside going through it’s full cycle on its own.

    By the last day all we could talk about was what a strange vibe this place had – like we were not alone. Nothing felt threatening, but it was just strange. And we camp at all the state parks and never felt this way for a minute! We wanted to even talk to a ranger about what happened but on their own, each instance doesn’t seem like much. It’s just when we add it all up.

    We did the lovely farmer’s market, walked around the settlement, and did see that the settlement had ghost tours but didn’t participate in any. I really didn’t think much of it at the time – lots of places have ghost tours.

    When we got home we Googled info on the park and read that others have shockingly heard whispers in the woods’ and seen orbs (I have a couple on my camera from this trip that I’ve been trying to analyze for almost a year, to the point of being a running joke. And they could be animal eyes although we didn’t see any raccoons like we have at
    other state parks. Or it could be an issue with my camera. Whatever they are, they are at the exact spot where we heard the whisper).

    I write this long piece and just sound crazy – but neither one of us is the type to imagine things like this. Anyway, part of me would like to return and camp again to see if anything else happens, but now I feel like I’d be seeking oddities. It is a beautiful state park and worth visiting at any rate 🙂

    • No, you don’t sound crazy lol, you make it sound like a very interesting and exciting place to check out Personally, I would definitely go back and check it out if I were you! I’m seriously considering a trip there myself after reading all of these comments.

  20. We were just here and captured a picture of what looks like a woman in a white dress in the mirror of one of the rooms in the planetary court. You can clearly make out a dress with what looks like an apron over it.

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