Editing Cyrus Teed (section)

===Death and legacy===

On October 13, 1906, while meeting the 1:30&nbsp;pm Atlantic Coast Line train from Baltimore, a group of Koreshans got into a fight in front of R. W. Gillams' grocery store in Ft. Myers, Teed tried to break it up<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hicks|first1=Peter|title=Cyrus Teed|url=http://koreshan.mwweb.org/teed.htm|website=mwweb.org|accessdate=3 August 2017}}</ref> and he was severely beaten<ref>"Proceedings of Estero Town Council", ''The American Eagle'', (Estero: Koreshan, 1906), Vol. 1, No. 23, accessed on 15 Dec 2016, https://www.floridamemory.com/exhibits/koreshan/documents.php?doc=2-8-americaneagle&sec=2&page=1</ref> by a Marshal Sanchez, suffering injuries from which he never recovered. He died on December 22, 1908.<ref>Donna Kossy, ''Kooks''. Portland: Feral House, 1994. pg. 89. {{ISBN|0-922915-19-9}}.</ref>

Teed's followers initially expected his [[resurrection]], after which he and his faithful would be taken up to heaven as he had predicted in his book ''The Immortal Manhood.'' They kept a constant vigil over his body for two days, after which time it began to show signs of decay. Following Christmas the county health officer stepped in to order his burial.<ref>Martin Gardner, ''Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science.'' pg. 26.</ref> After his death the group went into decline.

The last remaining follower, Hedwig Michel, deeded what remained of the colony, some 350 acres of land, to the State of Florida<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Amy Bennett |date=2015-10-19 |title=Cyrus Teed, Estero's Koreshans get their due in new book |url=https://www.news-press.com/story/life/2015/10/19/koreshans-cyrus-teed-estero-millner-book-florida-allure-immortality-hollow-universe/73813520/ |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=The News-Press |language=en-US}}</ref> in 1961. Following Michel's death in 1982, the site became known as the [[Koreshan State Historic Site]].<ref name=":0" />

Cyrus Teed's son, [[Douglas Arthur Teed]], was an [[American Impressionism|American Impressionist]] painter, but not a follower of his father's teachings. 
Douglas did, however, seek out his father later in life, visiting the Koreshan Unity in 1905. An article in the ''Fort Myers Press'' expressed gratitude toward south Florida receiving such a distinguished painter, and suggested the possibility of Douglas remaining in the state to paint.<ref>Lucie Page Borden, "Distinguished Artist at Estero," ''The Flaming Sword'', May 30, 1905, p.13</ref> There are numerous accounts in the communal paper espousing the talents of the artist son of Koresh.<ref name=autogenerated1>Pamela Beecher, ''Douglas Arthur Teed: An American Romantic'', (1982), p.29</ref> 

A special hall was built to house 27 of Douglas's works, which were painted especially for the commune. The people of the Unity were flattered by his interpretation of Estero, and the uncharted surrounding Florida land. Many of these works were painted in an [[Egg tempera|egg-tempera]] and have faded quite badly. Only a few paintings retain the artist's original intent; one such painting, "Tropical Dawn"<ref>[http://www.newzepol.com/COMPRESSED----Douglas-Teed----Tropical-Dawn.jpg "Tropical Dawn"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714175301/http://www.newzepol.com/COMPRESSED----Douglas-Teed----Tropical-Dawn.jpg |date=July 14, 2011 }}</ref> was presented to a member of the Unity, Victoria Gratia, at her birthday celebration in April 1905.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

It seemed the relationship between father and son was on good terms; Douglas even dedicated a poem to his father for his birthday (known to the Unity as "The Solar Festival") on October 18, 1905, entitled, ''The Lost Muse''.<ref name=autogenerated4>Pamela Beecher, ''Douglas Arthur Teed: An American Romantic'', (1982), p.15</ref> However, in 1907 Douglas sued the Koreshan Unity for overdue payment, citing the paintings which hung in the Art Hall.<ref name=autogenerated4 /> In 1908, a full settlement was made out of court between Douglas and the Unity, the year Teed died.