The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet

The true story of cult leader Cyrus Teed and his hollow earth theory

For five days in December 1908 the body of Cyrus Teed lay in a bathtub at a beach house just south of Fort Myers, Florida. His followers, the Koreshans, waited for signs that he was coming back to life. They watched hieroglyphics emerge on his skin and observed what looked like the formation of a third arm. They saw his belly fall and rise with breath, even though his swolle...