Investigation into the explosion is still underway.
QUICK FACTS:
- A rural Georgia monument known as the Georgia Guidestones was demolished Wednesday after an explosion damaged one of the panels.
- The stones, sometimes called “America’s Stonehenge,” were frequently associated with satanism by Christian leaders.
- The Georgia Bureau of Investigation ordered that the rest of the monument be knocked down for the sake of safety after the initial explosion that took place around 4 a.m. Wednesday.
- The investigation is still underway, but law enforcement released a video of a silver vehicle leaving the monument around the time of the explosion.
- Video cameras connected to emergency dispatch were stationed at the site.
HISTORY OF THE GUIDESTONES:
- The roadside attraction near Elberton, Georgia was built in 1980 when a group under the pseudonym R.C. Christian commissioned its construction.
- “That’s given the Guidestones a sort of shroud of mystery around them because the identity and intent of the individuals who commissioned them is unknown,” said Katie McCarthy, who researches conspiracy theories for the Anti-Defamation League. “And so that has helped over the years to fuel a lot of speculation and conspiracy theories about the Guidestones’ true intent.”
- The Elbert County Chamber of Commerce website stated that the structure “is a massive granite monument espousing the conservation of mankind and future generations. Sources for the sizable financing of the project choose to remain anonymous.
- “The wording of the message proclaimed on the monument is in 12 languages, including the Archaic languages of Sanscrit, Babylonian Cuneiform, Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Classical Greek, as well as English, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, Spanish and Swahili.”
BACKGROUND:
- They stood about 19-foot-high and carried a 10-part message in multiple languages that offered advice for living in the “age of reason.”
- One of the pieces of advice included keeping the world population at 500 million or below, and another calls to “guide reproduction wisely” and suggests “improving fitness and diversity.”
- Notoriety for the monument took off once it became a topic of interest on the internet, and it has since received thousands of tourist visits every year.
- The mention of eugenics, population control, and a global government caused many to regard it with a healthy dose of skepticism.
