The Georgia Guidestones was a granite monument located in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. It stood from 1980 to 2022. The structure was 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 meters) tall and made of six granite slabs weighing a total of 237,746 pounds (107,840 kilograms). It was sometimes called "American Stonehenge." The people who built the monument believed a major social, nuclear, or economic disaster was coming. They wanted the monument to help guide people in the world that would exist after the disaster. The monument was controversial when it was built and later became the subject of conspiracy theories that claimed it was linked to Satanism, not Christianity as the creators said.
On July 6, 2022, a vandal damaged the Guidestones with a bomb. Later that day, local officials removed the broken pieces and the remaining stones. In late July, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves announced plans to rebuild the monument. In August, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners voted to give the broken remains of the monument to the Elberton Granite Association. They also decided to return the 5 acres (2 hectares) of land where the monument stood to its previous owner.
History
In June 1979, a man who used the fake name Robert C. Christian contacted the Elberton Granite Finishing Company on behalf of "a small group of loyal Americans." He asked the company to build a structure. Christian said the stones would work as a compass, calendar, and clock, and must be strong enough to survive major disasters. He explained the name "Christian" was a reference to the Christian religion. Christian wanted to build a granite monument that would be as famous as the British Stonehenge, which he had visited. He believed Stonehenge was impressive but did not have a clear message.
Joe Fendley of Elberton Granite thought Christian was "a nut" and tried to stop him by giving a very high price quote for the project. He explained the work would need special tools and experts. To Fendley’s surprise, Christian agreed to the price.
When discussing payment, Christian said he represented a group that had planned the monument for 20 years and wanted to stay anonymous. He chose Elbert County because of its granite resources, open land, mild weather, and family connections to the area. The total cost was not shared, but it was more than $100,000 (about $400,000 in 2025).
Christian gave a small model of the monument and ten pages of details. He bought a 5-acre (2-hectare) site from a local farmer, who received lifetime grazing rights for his cattle. The monument was built near Georgia State Route 77, about 7 miles (11 km) north of Elberton.
On March 22, 1980, the monument was revealed by Congressman Doug Barnard in front of 200 to 300 people. A message was read aloud:
"In order to avoid debate, we the sponsors of the Georgia Guidestones have a simple message for human beings, now and for the future. We believe our precepts are sound, and they must stand on their own merits."
Christian later gave the land and monument to Elbert County. In 1981, barbed wire was added to keep cattle away.
A man who called himself Robert Christian wrote a book in 1986 called Common Sense Renewed, explaining the monument’s ideas. He said:
"I am the originator of the Georgia Guidestones and the sole author of its inscriptions. I have had the assistance of a number of other American citizens in bringing the monument into being. We have no mysterious purposes or ulterior motives. We seek common sense pathways to a peaceful world, without bias for particular creeds or philosophies."
Fendley believed the monument would attract tourists. In 2022, it had 20,000 annual visitors.
A 2015 documentary called Dark Clouds Over Elberton claimed to reveal the true identity of Robert Christian. The film said it had interviewed a banker involved in the monument’s funding.
In 2008, the stones were painted with graffiti, including "Death to the New World Order." In 2014, the word "I Am Isis, goddess of love" appeared on the stones. Cameras were later installed for security.
In 2022, Kandiss Taylor, a Republican candidate, called the Guidestones "Satanic" in a campaign ad and said they should be removed.
On July 6, 2022, an explosive device was found at the site, destroying one stone and damaging another. Residents heard explosions around 4:00 a.m. Police found a vehicle leaving the scene. Authorities removed the remaining stones for safety. No evidence of a time capsule was found.
The Elbert County Sheriff’s Office and GBI investigated the bombing. No motive or suspect was identified. Prosecutors said destroying the monument, considered a public building, could lead to a 20-year prison sentence.
In late July 2022, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves said the town planned to rebuild the monument exactly as it was. He said it might take six months to a year. In August 2022, the city council voted to return the land to the original owner, a local farm. The remains of the monument were given to the Elberton Granite Association. Both the association and the city council doubted rebuilding would happen but hoped it might one day.
Description
A message with ten rules was carved on the Georgia Guidestones in eight languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones. Starting from the north and moving clockwise, the languages were English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, and Russian. These languages were chosen because they represent most people on Earth, except Hebrew, which was included because it is connected to Judaism and Christianity.
The monument's sponsors said the rules were meant to help people protect nature after a nuclear war, which the creators believed might happen soon. The rules focused on four main topics: "how to run the world together, controlling population growth, caring for the environment, and spiritual beliefs."
The rules read:
Keep the human population under 500,000,000 and live in balance with nature.
Guide reproduction carefully to improve health and variety.
Unite people by creating a new shared language.
Control emotions, faith, traditions, and all matters with calm reasoning.
Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
Let all countries manage their own affairs and solve outside conflicts in a world court.
Avoid unnecessary laws and unneeded officials.
Balance personal rights with responsibilities to society.
Value truth, beauty, love, and seek harmony with the infinite.
Do not harm the Earth—make space for nature.
A few feet to the west of the monument, a granite tablet was placed flat on the ground. This tablet explained the structure, the languages used, and details about the stones’ size, weight, and astronomical features. It also mentioned a time capsule buried under the tablet, but spaces for dates when the capsule was placed and when it would be opened were left empty. In July 2022, county officials dug six feet under the tablet to look for the capsule but found nothing.
The text on the tablet had some punctuation errors and misspelled the word "pseudonym." The original spelling, punctuation, and line breaks were kept in the transcription. At the top center of the tablet was written:
The Georgia Guidestones Center cluster erected March 22, 1980
Below this was a square with the words:
Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason
Around the square were translations of the phrase into four ancient languages: Babylonian (in cuneiform script), Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Ancient Egyptian (in hieroglyphs).
On the left side of the tablet was a column of text:
Astronomic features
1. A channel through the stone shows the position of the North Star.
2. A horizontal slot shows the Sun’s yearly movement.
3. A sunbeam through the capstone marks noon every day of the year.
Author: R.C. Christian (a pseudonym) [sic]
Sponsors: A small group of Americans who seek the Age of Reason
Time Capsule Placed six feet [1.83 m] below this spot
On To be opened on
No dates were engraved under the time capsule heading.
On the right side of the tablet was another column of text:
Below the two columns was the caption "GUIDESTONE LANGUAGES," with a diagram showing the layout of the granite slabs. The names of eight modern languages were listed along the edges of the projecting rectangles: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. At the bottom center of the tablet was the text:
Additional information available at Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit College Avenue Elberton, Georgia
The four outer stones were positioned to mark the limits of the 18.6-year lunar declination cycle. The center column had a hole drilled at an angle, allowing the North Star to be seen. The same pillar had a slot aligned with the Sun’s solstices and equinoxes. A 7⁄8-inch (22 mm) opening in the capstone let sunlight shine on the center stone at noon, showing the day of the year. University of Georgia Astronomer Loris Magnani described these features as "mediocre at best" and compared them to "an abacus compared to Stonehenge’s computer."
Interpretations
When creating the guidestones, R. C. Christian described them as a guide for future people to use limited resources wisely, possibly during a time of nuclear war. Yoko Ono said the messages on the stones were "a strong message encouraging logical thinking." However, some people have criticized the guidestones' messages, claiming they support ideas about controlling human populations and causing harm to groups of people.
The guidestones became a topic of discussion among people who believe in secret plans or hidden meanings. A publication called Wired reported that some unnamed people have called the stones the "Ten Commandments of the Antichrist." Some conservative Christians have claimed the monument is connected to Satan.
Right-wing activist Mark Dice said the guidestones should be destroyed completely, stating he believes they are linked to "Satanic beliefs" and that R. C. Christian is part of a secret group called the "Luciferian society," which is connected to a movement known as the New World Order. At the time the monument was revealed, a local religious leader said he believed the stones were meant for people who worship the sun, other religions, or the devil.
Conspiracy theorist Jay Weidner noted that the name "R. C. Christian," used by the person who created the stones, is similar to "Rose Cross Christian" or "Christian Rosenkreuz," who started a group called the Rosicrucian Order. Others who agree with Weidner point to a statement from the Rosicrucian Order's first written message in 1614, which said, “The word R.C. should be their seal, mark, and character.” They also believe the writing on the top stone is similar to the title of a book called The Age of Reason, written by a man named Thomas Paine, who was also associated with the Rosicrucian Order.