Editing Koreshan Unity (section)

==Political party==
In 1906, the community formed the [[Progressive Liberal Party (Florida)|Progressive Liberal Party]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Platform of the Progressive Liberty Party, American Eagle (July 26, 1906) |url=https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/exhibits/koreshan/documents.php?doc=3-5-eagle&sec=3 |website=floridamemory.com |publisher=Florida Memory Project |access-date=18 January 2023}}</ref> to run several candidates for county government against the local [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] but were never successful.{{sfn|Winsboro|2004|page=183}} This Progressive Liberal Party consisted of Koreshans, [[socialism|socialists]], [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]], and dissatisfied Democrats. The Koreshans had already incorporated Estero and were seeking further political power in Lee County.  After Teed died in 1908 the group went into decline.  Several groups split off from the Unity.  One such group was the [[Order of Theocracy]] that left in 1910 and moved to nearby [[Ft. Myers, Florida|Ft. Myers]]. This group lasted until 1931.  The fact the Unity was [[celibacy|celibate]] did not help, although celibacy was not the real problem since there was a married status within the Unity.  Celibates were the highest order.  Without new members joining, the group slowly dwindled.  It continued to publish the ''[[Flaming Sword (newspaper)|Flaming Sword]]'' until the printing press burned down in 1949.  It also published the ''American Eagle'', which began in 1906 and later became a [[horticultural]] newspaper.{{sfn|Winsboro|2004|pages=181-183}}

===Followers===
The last remaining follower, Hedwig Michel, joined in 1940.  She had learned of the Koreshans in [[Germany]], and fled [[Nazism|Nazi]] persecution.  She ceded the main portion of the commune grounds to [[Florida]] to form a state park in 1961.  The Koreshan State Park (now known as the [[Koreshan State Historic Site]]) was opened in 1967. Hedwig Michel continued to live in the building known as the "''Planetary Court''."  She died in 1981. She is the only Koreshan buried within the park. Two other Koreshan cemeteries are nearby, one of which lies within a gated community and the other on land owned by the [[Audubon Society]].  Partly due to the Koreshan belief in a form of reincarnation, little, if anything, was done to care for these cemeteries.  The only permanent grave stones were put in by family members.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}