America’s Stonehenge: What were the Georgia Guidestones?

ATLANTA — The Georgia Guidestones, dubbed “America’s Stonehenge,” was probably one of Georgia’s strangest attractions.

On June 6, the controversial monument was demolished after a bomb destroyed one of its four granite panels.

GBI releases surveillance videos of explosion at Georgia Guidestones, car speeding away

According to WSB-TV, the stone structure located in Elbert County 90 miles east of Atlanta, had been the subject of controversy and intrigue for decades.

Origins

WSB investigated the origin story of the stones, which goes back over 40 years. In 1979, Joe Fendley, the president of the Elbert Granite Finishing Company Inc., was approached “by a neatly dressed man” about building the monument. The man identified himself as Robert C. Christian.

“During his visit with Fendley, explained that he represented a ‘small group of loyal Americans who believe in God.’ He said they lived outside of Georgia and wanted to ‘leave a message for future generations,’” according to the Elbert County Chamber of Commerce.

After leaving the meeting with Fendley, Christian went to the Granite City Bank to get a loan for the project. There, he met with Wyatt C. Martin.

“Christian informed Martin about his plans and the group he was associated with, had planned this monument for 20 years. He said the group wished to remain anonymous and revealed to Martin that his real name was not Robert Christian, it was a pseudonym chosen because of his Christian beliefs. After being sworn to secrecy, Christian told Martin his real name and some other personal information so Martin could investigate him properly before the project began,” the Chamber said on its website.

To this day, Martin is said to be the only person who knows the real identity of Christian.

The prototype of the monument that Christian brought to the Elbert Granite Finishing Company closely resembled Stonehenge in England.

“Pyramid Blue Granite from Pyramid Quarry was chosen for the monument. Each piece weighed approximately 28 tons, making this one of the most challenging projects to be worked on in Elberton. Charlie Clamp was the sandblaster chosen to etch the ‘message,’ which was more than 4,000 individual letters,” the Chamber said.

“Built to survive the apocalypse, the Georgia Guidestones are not merely instructions for the future—the massive granite slabs also function as a clock, calendar, and compass,” Wired.com said in a 2009 article about the Guidestones.

What was written on the massive stones?

On either side of the four stones making up the monument was the same inscription written in eight of the world’s major languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, and Swahili.

The transcription said:

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 earth — leave room for nature — leave room for nature.”

The messages inscribed on the stones seemed to advocate for population control, harmony with nature and internationalism, which made them the object of conspiracy theories, according to WSB.

Possible Theories

The meaning behind the Georgia Guidestones is shrouded in mystery. Some believe that Christian commissioned them to leave behind a moral code for future generations.

Here are a few of the more popular theories about the Georgia Guidestones:

They’re a time capsule for future generations.
They’re a message from aliens.
They’re a call to arms for a new world order.
They’re a warning about the dangers of nuclear war.
They’re a guide to rebuilding civilization after a cataclysmic event.

Controversy

According to The Associated Press, the site received attention during Georgia’s May 24 gubernatorial primary when Republican candidate Kandiss Taylor claimed the Guidestones were satanic and demolished them as part of her platform.

“God is God all by Himself. He can do ANYTHING He wants to do,” Taylor wrote on social media Wednesday. “That includes striking down Satanic Guidestones.”

According to AP, the monument had previously been vandalized, including when it was spray-painted in 2008 and 2014.

There is no definitive answer as to who built the Georgia Guidestones or why, and they will likely remain a mystery that continues to inspire speculation and debate.