Have you heard of the Georgia Guidestones? They are giant granite slabs that appeared suddenly in a field in Georgia back in 1979. Etched in the stones are messages about population control, internationalism, respect for nature, and the rule of reason over faith written in eight different languages. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, someone set a bomb off that destroyed one of the stones. No one knows who did it or why.
The Georgia Guidestones Are Now Destroyed
Four decades after they mysteriously appeared in a field in Elberton, Georgia, the Georgia Guidestones have been destroyed. In the early morning on Wednesday, July 6, someone set off an explosive that destroyed one of the stones. The blast could be heard for miles around and even shook some houses, locals say. Despite the ongoing investigation, local authorities reportedly deemed the integrity of the remaining stones unsafe. They have since leveled the site, take down all of the stones. (1)
Video footage shows a silver sedan driving away from the area, but it is the only evidence they have towards who the culprit may be. Elberton Granite Association Executive VP Chris Kubas says that the destruction of the Guidestones marks a sad day for Elberton, Georgia, and the United States.
“I’m sad not just for Elberton and Elbert County, I’m sad for the United States and the world,” Kubas said. “These were a tourist attraction, and it was not uncommon for people around the world to be up here at any given time.” (2)
What Exactly Were The Guidestones?
The Georgia Guidestones are granite monoliths that someone mysteriously constructed in 1979. They contain cryptic messages about society written in eight different languages. Some have even referred to them as “The American Stonehenge”. They consisted of four, 19-foot-tall granite slabs, a center stone, and a smaller black sitting on top. (3)
They were located in Elberton, Georgia, which has called itself “the granite capital of the world”. A man who called himself R.C. Christian claimed he commissioned the project for a group of out-of-state Americans who wished to remain anonymous. Very few people know the real identity of Christian, and those who do have sworn an oath of secrecy.
The creators etched 10 guiding principles into the stones. Their principles encourage things such as protecting nature and caring for our fellow citizens. Though most of what they said has not been considered overly controversial, a couple of things will make you take a second read. For example, they suggested that the world’s population be capped at 500 million. At the time of construction, the world’s population had already far surpassed that – it was roughly four billion, to be exact. They also encouraged reproduction to improve “fitness and diversity”, which does seem somewhat contradictory to their previous population limit statement.
Conspiracy
Naturally, many conspiracy theorists took these stones as leverage for pushing forward their own beliefs. Right-wing conspiracy theorist and Infowars founder Alex Jones claimed the guidestones were proof of a nefarious global scheme. In a 2008 documentary, he said they were evidence that world leaders were planning to make most of the world slaves.
Some people even linked conspiracies about the coronavirus pandemic to the Georgia guidestones. Others have said that it is evidence of a plot for future population control. The taking down of the stones supposedly shows people fighting back. Some have called the stones “satanic” and that them being destroyed was an “act of God”.
A Mark Of Good Craftsmanship
Outside of the conspiracy theorists who make their claims both for and against the guidestones, for many Elberton residents, the stones are merely proof of the quality of tradesmen the city has. For many, the stones were a source of pride.
“To quarry something of that size and get those four of them that precise … with the sandblasting it took to letter those languages, that is utter craftsmanship that you wouldn’t find anywhere else,” Kubas said.
The mayor of Elberton Daniel Graves couldn’t agree more.
“There is only one community in the world that could build such a monument,” he said.
Whether you like the Guidestones, thought they were a symbol of impending doom or only just heard about them for the first time now, they are now gone. No one has said anything about possible reconstruction, but considering the mystery of the stones and how they just “appeared” one day over 40 years ago, reconstruction wouldn’t exactly hold the same merit.
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Sources
- “Georgia’s Conspiracy-Magnet Guidestones Monument Has Been Bombed.” Vice. Matthew Gault and Jason Koebler. July 5, 2022.
- “The Georgia Guidestones demolished after explosion ‘destroyed’ portion, GBI says.” Fox5 Atlanta. FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team. July 6, 2022.
- “Far right called U.S. ‘Stonehenge’ satanic — and cheered when it blew up.” Washington
