Travelling north of Elberton, Georgia, State Highway 77 skirts the Tugaloo River Valley, which gently slopes towards the river that defines the South Carolina border. This fertile valley was first farmed by the Cherokee in the 15th century. In fact, they considered this to be the center of the world. But eight miles north of Georgia's granite capitol the road reaches a truly unusual site...America's Stonehenge.

Almost twenty feet tall, and at least 3000 miles from the plains of Salisbury, the Georgia Guidestones consist of six granite slabs that weight more than 100 tons, according to the Elberton Granite Association. The quarried slabs are really quite a bit more than the English attraction, for inscribed on the stones are wisdom for all ages: "Avoid petty laws and useless officials," and "prize truth - beauty - love seeking harmony with the infinite."

The story of this combined Stonehenge and Rosetta Stone goes back two decades when an unidentified man walked into Elberton Granite Finishing Company and announced that he represented a "small group of Americans who seek the age of reason." The stones were carved with the admonitions of the group in eight languages: English, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Swahili, and Spanish.

The four main stones radiate like spokes on a wheel from the fifth stone, which stands in the center of the ring. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned.

Location: Grassy field north of Elberton on Hwy 77
Directions: From Elberton travel north on Highway 77 for 8.7 miles. The guidestones are visible on the right, a short distance from the main highway.
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Date added: November 16, 2003
Last update: December 5, 2003