See America’s Stonehenge in Georgia

Twenty years ago, a mysterious blue granite monument erected in a field near Elberton was revealed to the world. Five  19-foot-tall stones, connected by a capstone, and together weighing 119 tons, stand starkly alone in a field off a lonely Georgia road. Carved on the face of the stones — in twelve languages –  are ten rules for maintaining humanity on earth. The languages are both modern and ancient, including Sanscrit, Babylonian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Known as the Georgia Guidestones, the slabs are set in a position to follow the migration of the moon for a year. A hole is drilled in the center stone (called the Gnomen stone) through which the North Star is always visible. There is a slot in the middle that aligns with the sun’s rise and set during the winter and summer solstices. The capstone has a calendar and a hole through which the sun’s beam hits the day of the year at noon.

Among the ten messages on the stones are suggestions that in order to preserve human kind, we rule together with justice, guide reproduction and improve fitness, balance personal rights with social duties and leave room for nature. Most striking, for some, is the statement “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000″ — a fraction of the number of people on earth. Some people believe the message to be controversial and threats to the stones have been recorded. Others believe these guidelines are more applicable to a world trying to rebuild itself after a disaster.

Elberton has a lot of granite and a large granite industry — but even with all that rock lying around, carving and placing these massive stones was an expensive undertaking. Therein is the mystery. Who is behind this monument?

The story is that a stranger came to town in 1979, gave the name “R. C. Christian,” admitted that it was a pseudonym and paid the Elberton Granite Company to have the stones carved and erected. He said he represented a group that had been planning this project 20 years and wished to remain anonymous. And that is all anyone knows about it.

Elberton is off I-85 towards South Carolina from Atlanta. The stones are located on Georgia Highway 77, seven miles north of Elberton (see map,) just over a mile south of the Hart-Elbert county line.   They can be seen from the road and there is a small parking area.

(Photo: Courtesy Elberton Chamber of Commerce.)