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History
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Lee
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Names
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Dr.
Cyrus R. Teed |
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...born
in 1839, was the leader of the Koreshan Unity. This was a communal
religious group in Chicago, Illinois. In 1895, he purchased 320 acres
of land south of Fort Myers on the Estero River. The Koreshans moved
to Florida and built a community which numbered 200 by 1904. Estero
was incorporated in 1904. The Koreshan land holdings in Lee County
reached 5,736 acres, and Dr. Teed’s community grew to 10,000
people. The Koreshan Unity set up electric utilities, a concrete works,
a sculpting department, print shop, laundry, bakery, saw mills and
boat works. Remains of many of these operations still can be seen
today at the Koreshan State Park, including the portion called Mound
Key. The Koreshans operated a general store that served riverboat
traffic, and the first Estero Post Office was housed in the Koreshan
settlement. Also, the Koreshans held concerts, gave lectures and performed
plays for the general public. Dr. Teed died in 1908. The communal
society continued after his death until the last of his followers
died in 1982. Today, the Koreshan Unity settlement site is a Florida
State Park. Teed’s Great Floridian plaque is located at the
Founder’s House, Koreshan Unity Settlement National Historic
District, Koreshan State Historic Site (15 miles south of Fort Myers
on U.S. 41). Many associate the Koreshan faith with the notion that
the earth is hollow, and claim they believed that “everything
else” was inside. Essentially, this can be called the “inside-out
universe” idea. Teed and some of his followers also are known
to have spent a lot of time developing scientific and mathematical
ideas, many of which are difficult to follow at best. The exact nature
of these beliefs and thoughts may never be well understood, and defenders
of Teed’s reputation point out his many impacts on the area,
whether or not his beliefs held water. Captain Melville Emory Forrey
was born in Iowa in 1871. After serving in the Spanish-American War,
he came to LaBelle as a dredge boat captain, charged with dredging
and straightening the Caloosahatchee River. He operated a general
store, trading with the Seminoles. Forrey served as city councilman
and mayor of LaBelle, and in 1926 he placed the cornerstone for the
Hendry County Courthouse. Captain Forrey died in 1927. His Great Floridian
plaque is located at the Hendry County Courthouse, corner of Bridge
Street and Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle. Captain Francis Asbury Hendry
was born in 1833 in Georgia. His family moved to Florida in 1851 and
he became a cattle farmer, owning 50,000 head by 1890. He served in
the 3rd Seminole War and the Civil War, for which he raised a cavalry
troop. Captain Hendry helped establish Lee County in 1887. Hendry
was instrumental in the incorporation of Fort Myers, and served on
its first town council. He was one of the first Lee County commissioners
and served as state representative every other year between 1893 and
1903. He was also elected state senator. Captain Hendry was the founder
of LaBelle, which was incorporated in 1911. He served as mayor, town
clerk, marshal, alderman and minister. Hendry County, established
in 1923, was named for him. Captain Hendry died in 1917. His Great
Floridian plaque is located at the Captain Hendry House, 512 Fraser
Street, LaBelle. This is a private residence, and not a museum. |
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Frank
P. Bailey |
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...a
Sanibel pioneer, was born in 1873. He arrived on Sanibel Island in
1894 with his mother and two brothers. They began farming while they
bargained to buy their own land. The family eventually bought a plantation
store that combined packing and shipping of their own produce as well
as that of other farmers. Bailey co-founded the Sanibel Community
Church in 1917, and when Sanibel Packing Company—the name given
to the Bailey enterprises—was destroyed by a hurricane in 1926,
he built a larger store in a more secure location. That same year
he helped to establish Sanibel Community House, a facility that still
serves as a center of island activity. In the 1940s he set up a telephone
system and served as Justice of the Peace. Frank Bailey operated the
general store until his death in 1952. His Great Floridian plaque
is located at the Old Bailey Store, 950 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. The
Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum also is partially named in his honor. |
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