.jpg) Georgia Guidestones in 2020 | |
 | |
| 34°13′55″N 82°53′40″W / 34.23206°N 82.89440°W | |
| Location | Elbert County, Georgia, US |
|---|---|
| Material | Granite |
| Height | 19 ft 3 in (5.87 m) |
| Opening date | March 22, 1980 |
| Dismantled date | July 6, 2022 |
The Georgia Guidestones was a granite monument that stood in Elbert County, Georgia, United States, from 1980 to 2022. It was 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall and made from six granite slabs weighing a total of 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg).[1] The structure was sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge".[2][3] The monument's creators believed that there was going to be an upcoming social, nuclear, or economic calamity and they wanted the monument to serve as a guide for humanity in the world which would exist after it.[4] Controversial from its time of construction, it ultimately became the subject of conspiracy theories which alleged that it was connected to Satanism.[5]
On the morning of July 6, 2022, the guidestones were heavily damaged in a bombing from a vandal,[2][6] and the debris and guidestones were removed by the local government later that day.[7][8] In late July, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves announced plans to rebuild the monument.[9] In August, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners voted to donate the remains of the monument to the Elberton Granite Association, and return the 5 acres (2 ha) of land on which the monument was erected to its previous owner.[10]
- ^ Sullivan, Randall (April 20, 2009). "American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse". Wired. Vol. 17, no. 5. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ a b Ouzts, Clay (July 11, 2022). "Georgia Guidestones". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Stelloh, Tim (July 7, 2022). "Georgia Guidestones monument is destroyed after explosion". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Montgomery, Bill (June 21, 1981). "Elbert's Guidestones get help from mystery man". Atlanta Constitution. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ Amy, Jeff (July 6, 2022). "Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing". Associated Press. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Alund, Natalie Neysa (July 6, 2022). "Georgia Guidestones: Rural monument that some call satanic damaged in bombing, police say". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (July 6, 2022). "Explosion Destroys Mysterious Monument in Georgia, Authorities Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "The Georgia Guidestones demolished after explosion 'destroyed' portion, GBI says". WAGA-TV. July 6, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
Investigators said unknown people detonated an explosive device at around 4 a.m. Elbert County investigators arrived and they noted that a large portion of the structure was damaged.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RebuildingGraveswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ford, Wayne. "Elbert County won't rebuild bombed Georgia Guidestones, will donate monument's remains". Online Athens.