Written in Stone –
The mysterious Georgia Guidestones, with their message to Mankind, stand in a field near Elberton, Ga. . . . Go figure.
Drive approximately 100 miles west and cross the Georgia line and you’ll come to Winnsboro’s sister city, you could say. Elberton, Ga., is a town with a blue granite heritage, too. Drive north of Elberton on Highway 77 for 8.7 miles and on a high hilltop you’ll see blue granite put to unique use. You’ll see an American Stonehenge and something more, one of this region’s true mysteries. No one knows who commissioned the construction of this extraordinary monument.
In June 1979, a dapper, persuasive stranger walked into the Elberton Granite Finishing Company and stated that he wanted to build an edifice that would send mankind a message. He said his name was R. C. Christian, but that was just an alias. The monument was built and it became known as the Georgia Guidestones.
Almost 20 feet tall, the Guidestones consist of six granite slabs that weight more than 100 tons. The four main stones radiate like spokes on a wheel from the fifth stone, which stands in the center of the ring. A capstone tops the astronomically aligned five slabs. The stones were carved with admonitions in eight languages: English, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Swahili and Spanish. Carved into the stones one reads sage advice such as “Avoid petty laws and useless officials.” A CNN writer referred to the Guidestones as “an astronomically complex, 120-ton relic of Cold War fears, built to instruct survivors of an Armageddon that the mystery man feared was all too near.” The monument’s admonitions advise mankind to . . .
1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature.
A slot in the center column allows one to observe the sun’s transit throughout the seasons. A hole higher up focuses on Polaris, the North Star. A hole in the capstone directs a shaft of sunlight onto the central pillar at noon. Such features let survivors of R. C. Christian’s coming apocalypse reproduce the calendar, clock and compass.
Not all are content with this monument, however. Critics call the Guidestones ‘Satanic,’ and some want them to be destroyed. They’re still standing though, and it’s easier by far to drive to Elbert County Ga. than to fly to England. An American Stonehenge is just a day away. Check it out.
If You Go …
• Location: Grassy field north of Elberton on Highway 77.
• Directions: From Elberton travel north on Highway 77 for 8.7 miles. The Guidestones are visible on the right, a short distance from the main highway.
• GPS: WGS84 34° 13’ 55.14″ N, 82° 53’ 40.22″ W
34.231984, -82.894506
• www.thegeorgiaguidestones.com/Message.htm
Learn more about Tom Poland, a Southern writer, and his work at www.tompoland.net. Email day-trip ideas to him at [email protected].
