From 1980 until their dramatic destruction in 2022, the Georgia Guidestones stood as one of the most enigmatic and debated granite monuments ever erected in Elbert County, Georgia, close to the South Carolina border. Often dubbed “America’s Stonehenge,” these towering structures commanded the highest point in the county, within the northeastern Piedmont region of the state. The Georgia Guidestones were publicly unveiled on March 22, 1980, immediately sparking curiosity and controversy.
Much like the ancient Stonehenge, the modern Guide Stones were designed to function as a celestial calendar, marking the passage of time through specific astronomical alignments. However, unlike Stonehenge, the Guidestones bore a direct written message intended for humanity. Furthermore, the layout of the two sites contrasted significantly. While Stonehenge is famously circular, the Georgia Guidestones were arranged in an “X” formation, with each axis oriented towards key points of the moon’s yearly orbit around the Earth.
The puzzling origins of these guide stones trace back to the summer of 1979, when a man identifying himself as R. C. Christian arrived in Elberton. His mission was to find a granite company capable of realizing his monument design and a suitable location for its construction. “Christian” openly admitted that this name was a pseudonym, chosen to reflect his personal beliefs and those of the organization backing and funding the project. Even today, Christian’s true identity and the actual organization behind him remain shrouded in mystery. Christian stated that he selected Elbert County because of its rich granite deposits, its rural setting, agreeable climate, and the fact that some of his ancestors had once resided in the area.
Joe H. Fendley Sr., then president of the Elberton Granite Finishing Company, was taken aback when Christian initially detailed his vision: a colossal granite monument inscribed with timeless wisdom—suggestions or directives aimed at guiding humanity toward an “age of reason.” Christian also shared with Wyatt C. Martin, president of Granite City Bank, his aspiration that other like-minded conservation groups across the nation would eventually add more stones to form an outer circle around the central structure. He emphasized to Martin his desire for the monument to be located in a secluded rural area, away from large crowds and tourist paths.
Subsequently, Fendley assigned his team to begin work on the structure, which comprised four massive blue granite slabs, a central pillar (known as the Gnomen stone), and a capstone. Upon completion, this imposing monument weighed 119 tons and contained 951 cubic feet of granite. It was also etched with over 4,000 sandblasted characters and letters, each approximately four inches tall. Christian and Martin chose a five-acre plot situated in a cow pasture, about seven miles north of Elberton and eight miles south of Hartwell, offering expansive views to the east and west, as the site for the monument. Intriguingly, the chosen location was near what the Cherokee Indians called “Al-yeh-li A lo-Hee,”—considered to be the center of the world. The land where the guide stones stood is owned by Elbert County.
The inscriptions on the guide stones were intended as a message for both present and future generations. Sandblasted onto the square capstone resting atop the structure was the core message: “Let these be guide stones to an age of reason,” rendered in Babylonian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Sanskrit, and classical Greek. The four granite slabs, each weighing 42,137 pounds and standing over sixteen feet tall, presented ten “guides” for humanity in eight different languages. The languages featured on these major stones were Arabic, Chinese, English, Hebrew, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. The engraved messages addressed four primary themes: governance and the establishment of a world government, population and reproductive control, the environment and humanity’s relationship with nature, and spirituality.
While some of these “guides” were straightforward, others were subject to interpretation and debate. The diverse range of interpretations surrounding the guide stones fueled considerable controversy and discussion regarding the hidden or intended meanings of the messages. The monument had been vandalized several times prior to its destruction and became the focus of numerous conspiracy theories, particularly those concerning its directives on population control and internationalism. According to the Guidestones, the following ten principles were proposed to secure humanity’s long-term survival:
- Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
- Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
- Unite humanity with a living new language.
- Rule Passion — Faith — Tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
- Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
- Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
- Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
- Balance personal rights with social duties.
- Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
- Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.
Beyond the inscriptions, astronomical phenomena were also integral to the design of the guide stones. The four main upright granite slabs that formed the face of the structure were aligned with the extremes of the moon’s orbit throughout the year. A precisely drilled, eye-level hole in the Gnomen stone pointed upwards towards Polaris, the North Star. In the center of the Gnomen stone, a large slot with a hole through it oriented the monument to the summer and winter solstices. The Guidestones also functioned as a massive sundial. A seven-eighths-inch hole drilled through the capstone allowed sunlight to project onto the southern face of the Gnomen stone at noon, marking the time.
The controversy surrounding the guide stones reached a critical point in 2022. In May, Kandiss Taylor, a Republican candidate for governor, publicly labeled the site “satanic” and pledged to demolish it via executive order if elected. The resulting media attention and social media discussions reignited interest in the Guidestones among evangelical Christians and fringe conspiracy theorists. In the early hours of July 6, 2022, an explosion partially destroyed the monument. Local and state police found evidence of a bomb at the scene and released security camera footage of the detonation. Citing public safety concerns, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation demolished the remaining structure later that same day. Their investigation into the bombing is still ongoing.
For those interested in learning more, the Elberton Granite Museum in Elberton features an impressive scale model of the Guidestones as well as a short documentary detailing their construction. The museum also offers complimentary informational brochures about the guide stones and their creation, preserving the legacy of this controversial monument.
