In 1980, a structure containing a group of huge stone tablets appeared in the middle of a cow field near the small town of Elberton in Elber County in Georgia. From a distance they just look likehuge grey stones, rather like Stonehenge – but get closer and you’ll see writings on the stones that change everything you’re thinking at that moment.
Are they signs of a satanic cult, instructions to end civilisation or a way to start a new post-Doomsday world?
Blogger Sam, who runs the blog Lez Travel for Life with her wife Courtney, live near the stones and so today I’m going to turn the blog over to them to tell you what they know about the spooky Georgia Guidestones…
‘Tucked away in a sleepy little town in Georgia are a group of giant stone structures, written in twelve languages with an apocalyptic message to deliver to anyone who reads it.
This sounds like a pretty intense set up to see sitting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere Georgia – and it was.
My wife and I have driven these country roads countless times, but driving by massive granite inscriptions in the middle of a cow farm was not something we were expecting to see. Our curiosity caused us to turn around and figure out what the heck this thing is.
Known as the Georgia Guidestones, these structures were created in 1980 by a mysterious man who wanted the world to see an important message that has been broken into 10 guidelines.
These guidestones have left behind countless questions that have yet to be answered after over 30 years.
Sworn to secrecy, those tasked to help build these structures have never fully told the public who the mystery man who had them built was.
What Are the Georgia Guidestones?
The Georgia Guidestones are inscribed granite stones. A large slab stands in the center, with four other stones around it. There’s another slab on top.
The guidestones are meant to provide a message to anyone who reads it, to help restart humanity by providing a clock, compass, and calendar.
The mysterious man wanted the stones to be tall, and strong enough to handle weather or events deemed as “catastrophic”. The guidestones have been written in 12 languages, eight are modern languages, four are ancient languages. The goal of the guidestones is to provide instructions on how to conserve the human race and all those who come in the future.
The guidestones have an astronomical calendar, meaning every day the sun shines at noon through a small hole in the structure, which sheds light on the day’s date. The structure is laid out in an “X”, which means that each line is aligned to the moon’s rotation around the Earth, which happens annually.
There is also a hole in the center stone which is aligned with the North Star. The Georgia guidestones have been referred to as “America’s Stonehenge” because of its use of stars, the sun, and the moon.
What Makes the Georgia Guidestones so Unusual?
Let’s start with the fact that, to this day no one knows the exact identity of the man who came to Elberton to have these stones built.
He made anyone involved swear to secrecy. The owner of the granite shop immediately tried to talk to the strange man known as R. C. Christian out of this idea, as he thought it was completely outrageous. But despite the owner of the granite shop attempting to laugh this strange guy out of town, he came back with a ten page request of exactly what he wanted on the guidestones.
Even with the inscriptions on the guidestones, many people feel like the Guidestones meaning is up to interpretation and has sparked controversy around hidden messages.
Even after visiting I left scratching my head trying to understand what it all meant, even though it is clearly laid out on the granite slabs.
Just as quickly as the guidestones were built, the mystery man was gone. Vanished for no one to know where he came from, what group he represented or how he got the money for them.’
How intriguing does this story sound? Since I got Sam’s piece I’ve been reading up on the stones and you can end up in some pretty disturbing conspiracy wormholes – particularly considering what’s going on around us. There’s a great article on Discover magazine that delves much deeper into the beliefs and history about the stones.
It’s a bit spooky – those who think there might be some kind of Doomsday purpose claim the fact that the proportions of the stones reflect that of Dubai’s Burj Al Kalif is significant (!?!), others say they believe the person bulding them had some kind of Klan-based links.
And, it’s true that the 10 Commandments written on the stones can seem a bit dark as they talk about keeping the population under 500,000,000 (although that ship has sailed) and ensuring it’s fit and diverse which is a bit concerning. But there again, they also state Prize truth — beauty — love and Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature. So, who knows. Maybe there are here to help rebuild things in the event of some kind of disaster movie event – or mess up of our own making.
Intrigued – me too, so let Sam explain how to get there…
Where Are the Georgia Guidestones Located?
‘The Georgia Guidestones are located in Elberton Georgia, which is about 45 minutes from Athens Georgia or 90 minutes outside of Atlanta.
The stones themselves are located on a cow pasture in between Elberton and Hartwell Georgia. You’ll find this seven miles north of the town located on Highway 77 and the full address, is 1031 Guidestones Rd.Elberton GA 30635.
This area was specifically chosen because of how close it is to what the Cherokee Indians considered the center of the world.
The mystery man who wanted the guidestones built insisted they were to be put away from tourists or crowds.
Even with it being so far away from major cities, the curiosity from people has attracted visitors from all over.
It is free to visit the Georgia Guidestones and they are open from 6AM to 11PM every day of the week.’
Things to do Near the Georgia Guidestones
If you’re travelling to see the stones, you might want to also check out what’s nearby, so I asked Sam for a few ideas.
‘While the guidestones are in the middle of nowhere, there are some cool towns worth visiting around the Elberton area. Athens, Georgia is less than an hour away and has some pretty awesome history.
Athens Georgia has an incredible musical past. Major bands like the B-52’s, R.E.M, Widespread Panic, and Of Montreal had their start here. The Morton Theatre was constructed in the early 1900’s by African Americans and has been considered one of the longest surviving vaudeville theaters in the country. Musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong performed here.
Wuxtry Records is another spot worth visiting. It’s a record store that has been considered one of the best record stores in the United States. It has also employed several musicians over the years, Peter Buck and Michael Stipe actually met at this store and later formed the band R.E.M.
Eat at Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods. This restaurant has been around since the mid 80’s and is a staple within the community of Athens.
R.E.M even named an album Automatic for the People after a phrase the owner of the restaurant would say to replace “you’re welcome”.
Weaver D’s reminds me of some pretty incredible food joints in St. Pete Florida my wife and I checked out.
Have an adventure and head out of the center of Athens and visit the Georgia Railroad Trestle. This place holds major significance as this is where the photo from the back of R.E.M’s first album came from. It overlooks the Oconee River. Definitely worth checking out, but know that this area has been part of a project to help rejuvenate local trails and this Trestle might not be completely intact as it has been falling apart for years.
Check out a show at the Iconic 40 Watt club. The 40 Watt Club has been named one of the most famous rock clubs in the world and is known for kick-starting the punk rock scene in America. You can still check out this venue today and see a local show.’
So, there you have it – spooky eh? Have you visted the Georgia Guidestones – what do you think they’re about?