In 1980, a nineteen feet three inches tall, granite monument resembling Stonehenge was erected in Georgia. Situated atop a desolate hill, the Georgia Guidestones is made of six granite slabs. There are ten guidelines in eight modern languages inscribed on these slabs. No one knows the designer of this massive structure or its purpose, hence it is shrouded in mystery and surrounded with numerous unanswered questions. Because of this, lots of speculation and conspiracy theories have sprung up around it.

Robert C. Christian approached a granite company in 1979 to commission a huge structure, stating that he represents a small group of anonymous Americans who had been planning it for twenty years. Upon hearing of the project, the president of the granite company thought Christian was “a nut” and tried to discourage him. 

In June 1979, a well-dressed man entered the offices of the Elberton Granite Finishing Company. He introduced himself as Robert C Christian, which by his own admission was a pseudonym. Christian met with the president of the company, Joe H Fendley Sr., and commissioned a structure made of six granite slabs. He chose Elberton as the site of construction because this area has huge granite reserves. Christian explained to Fendley that the stones would function as a compass, calendar, and clock. Also, he specified that it should be capable of withstanding catastrophic events.

After hearing about the project, Fendley attempted to discourage Christian. He quoted a price several times higher than any project the company had previously taken. He explained that the extra charges were because the Guidestones would require additional tools and consultants. To his surprise, Christian accepted the quote. While arranging the payment, Christian explained that he was working on behalf of “a small group of loyal Americans.” Also, he stated that this group of people intended to remain anonymous. He later told Fendley that the group had been planning the Guidestones structure for twenty years.

Upon hearing the details about the structure, Fendley put Christian in touch with his banker, Wyatt C Martin, and both the men were sworn to secrecy. Christian delivered a scale model to Fendley and purchased a five-acre plot of land for the project’s construction. After his encounters with Fendley and Martin, Christian left town and was never seen again.

When Fendley realized that Christian was serious about the Guidestones project, he put him in touch with his banker. Soon, Christian agreed to the banker, Wyatt C Martin, as being the intermediary for the project. When Fendley and Martin agreed to work on this project, they were sworn to secrecy.

After finalizing the plans for the project, Christian delivered a scale model of the Guidestones. He also sent ten pages of specifications along with the model. To construct the monument, Christian purchased a five-acre plot of land in Elbert County, Georgia on October 1, 1979. The farm owner, Wayne Mullinex and his children, were given lifetime cattle grazing rights on the site. Christian later transferred ownership of the land and the Guidestones to Elbert County.

The Georgia Guidestones monument was unveiled on March 22, 1980, before an audience of about 400 people.The structure is made of six slabs of granite with ten guidelines inscribed on them in eight different languages. It is believed that it contains post-apocalyptic messages.

On March 22, 1980, the Georgia Guidestones was publicly unveiled. The ceremony was attended by up to 400 people. The monument consists of six slabs of granite. One slab stands in the center with four arranged around it, all topped by a capstone. All the slabs are astronomically aligned. Due to the granite slabs, the structure shares a resemblance with Stonehenge. That’ss why this structure is also known as “America’s Stonehenge.”

On each face of the four upright stones are inscriptions which state:

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 — Leave room for nature.

The guidelines are inscribed in eight different languages. They are English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian.

The monument also contains several astronomical features. The center column has a hole drilled from one side to the other. The North Star can be seen through this hole. The same pillar has a slot which is aligned with the Sun’s solstices and equinoxes. An aperture in the capstone indicates the day of the year by allowing sunrays to pass through it.

A few feet away from the structure is a tablet which contains information about the structure. It states that a time capsule has been buried underneath the structure, but the date on which to open the capsule is not mentioned. 

A tablet bearing inscription about the various features of Georgia Guidestones is placed at the west of the structure. At the top center of the tablet is written:

THE GEORGIA GUIDESTONES
CENTER CLUSTER ERECTED MARCH 22, 1980

Below it is written:

LET THESE BE THE GUIDESTONES TO AN AGE OF REASON

The left side of the tablet contains information about its astronomical features, author, and sponsors. Along with it, there is information about a time capsule placed six feet below the structure. The date to open the time capsule is not mentioned. The right side of tablet mentions the physical data of the structure.

Even though the tablet states the purpose of Georgia Guidestones, it has become a subject of interest for conspiracy theorists. Due to the mystery surrounding the structure, it has been vandalized a number of times.

People have different views about the Georgia Guidestones. Some people, such as Yoko Ono, has praised the inscriptions. While others have described the ten commandments as works of the Antichrist. An activist named Mark Dice even demanded that the Guidestones should be smashed into pieces. According to him, the Guidestones has “a deep Satanic origin”. But most people agree that the inscription is actually a post-apocalyptic message.

The true meaning of the stone’s messages have never been understood, nor confirmed. Also, the reason of its existence is not clear. Due to this confusion, the monument has been vandalized a number of times including both physical damage and spray painting. Due to the unexplained origin, the Georgia Guidestones is now considered as one of U.S.’ greatest mystery.
[source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]