Authorities in Elbert County, Georgia, are investigating a Wednesday morning explosion that destroyed parts of a mysterious structure known as the “Georgia Guidestones.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that the 4 a.m. blast “destroyed a large portion of the structure.” Those behind the explosion have not yet been identified, the agency said.
(2/3) Elbert County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to discover the explosion destroyed a large portion of the structure. The Elbert County Sheriff’s Office asked the GBI to assist with the investigation. GBI EOD are on scene conducting their examination of the site.
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) July 6, 2022
Individuals with information on what happened to the structure are requested to contact the Elberton County Sheriff’s Office by calling (706) 283-2421 or the GBI through the number (706) 552-2309.
The GBI and the Elberton County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating the incident.
One Elberton resident, living five miles away from the structure, said she heard a bang at 4 a.m. She later saw a Facebook post about the damage to the monument — also known as “America’s Stonehenge” — after she woke up, WYFF reported.
The structure is located 7 miles north of Elberton on Georgia Highway 77. It is composed of four 16-foot pillars, each weighing over 20 tons, holding up a 25,000-pound capstone, according to Wired.
Pictures and drone footage of the damaged monolith showed one of the four stone pillars upholding the capstone lying amidst the rubble on the ground, The Associated Press reported.
Erected in 1979, the Guidestones have ten instructions for humanity. The instructions were written in four dead languages and eight modern languages, according to the Smithsonian.
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“Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature,” one of the ten instructions stated.
“Unite humanity with a living new language,” “Guide reproduction wisely” and “Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature” were some of the other instructions on the structure.
“Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court,” another of the instructions said.
The structure drew controversy as some conservatives and Christians viewed it as “satanic.” One Republican candidate for Georgia governor, Kandiss Taylor, said during the May 24 Georgia Republican primary that she wanted to destroy the structure once she became governor, Fox News reported.
“God is God all by Himself. He can do ANYTHING He wants to do. That includes striking down Satanic Guidestones,” Taylor wrote in a Wednesday post on Twitter.
When Wired writer Randall Sullivan visited the site in 2009, he said that slogans such as “Death to the new world order,” “Jesus will beat u satanist,” and “No one world government” were spray-painted on the stones.
According to the Associated Press, the structure, which also serves as a sundial and astronomical calendar, was constructed in local granite. An unknown individual named R.C. Christian commissioned the project.
“It’s sad,” Elberton Granite Association Vice President Chris Kubas told WSB-TV. “Not just for Elberton and Elbert County, but I’m sad for the United States and the world.”
DEVELOPING: Georgia Guidestones: ‘America’s Stonehenge’ Damaged In Apparent Explosion https://t.co/vyJKMXTP0f pic.twitter.com/s4MISE9YbP
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 6, 2022
“These were tourists attractions, and it was not uncommon for people from around the world to be up here at any given time,” Kubas added.
