by Annamaria Geresdi
For years I’ve been fascinated with this little patch of nature I refer to as “the enchanted bamboo forest”. It is located practically in our very backyard (just north of Naples at the Koreshan State Historic Site), yet not many know about this breathtaking place. It is tucked away in the far end of the park along the canal with a short nature trail cutting through it. I discovered it one day just walking around the park on a late summer afternoon collecting firewood for the camp fire. There was no one around, only the sound of lizards running across dry leaves and the quiet rustling of the bamboo trees in the breeze. I truly felt I was in an enchanted forest.
Since that day I revisited the park several times (it’s an excellent place for photo shoots, camping, canoeing, and family visits), but I haven’t been back for quite a while. For months I was envisioning the bamboo forest for the cover of White Lotus Magazine and was hoping to go take photos. But because of my many projects, a recent move, and obvious lack of time, I had to constantly postpone it. Nevertheless, the idea popped into my head for the cover once again. So one day I just dropped what I was doing, grabbed my camera and I just followed the whispering of the enchanted bamboo forest. And finally it did make it onto the cover of the April 2015 issue!
The history of the settlement and the people who once lived there is rather curious, but it certainly does not interfere with the serenity and beauty of the park itself. The mature vegetation, the well-maintained and clean grounds, the peaceful canal, and the short but lovely nature trails make this 305-acre park more than a just a historic site with an unusual past: it’s a beautiful piece of paradise well worth visiting.
KORESHAN STATE HISTORIC SITE
Cyrus Reed Teed brought his followers to Estero in 1894 to build the “New Jerusalem” for his new faith, Koreshanity. The colony, known as the Koreshan Unity, believed that the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. The colony began fading after Teed´s death in 1908, and in 1961 the last four members deeded the land to the state. What remains of their once vibrant community are 11 beautifully maintained historic structures that date from 1882-1920 and landscaped grounds including unique ornamental exotic vegetation from throughout the world. Today, visitors can fish, picnic, boat, and hike where Teed´s visionaries once lived and created their own utopia.
SOURCE: www.floridastateparks.org/park/Koreshan