New AJC podcast resurfaces Georgia Guidestones mystery
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The rules are written in multiple languages. Photo: Quentin Melson
A new AJC podcast probes the origins and 2022 destruction of the Georgia Guidestones, reviving questions about one of the state's most enigmatic landmarks.
Why it matters: Before their mysterious destruction in 2022, the Georgia Guidestones were simultaneously a roadside attraction and magnet for conspiracy theories, from New World Order fears to claims it was satanic.
- In "Who Blew Up the Guidestones?," journalist Tyler McBrien investigates who may be behind the monument's creation and 2022 bombing — and why we care so much about the mini-Stonehenge to this day.
Catch up quick: In 1979, a mystery man going by the name of R.C. Christian hired a granite firm to build a cluster of 19-foot-tall columns in an Elbert County cow pasture roughly two hours east of Atlanta.
- Inscribed on the columns were 10 guidelines for a post-catastrophe world. The rules ranged from obvious ("leave room for nature") to curmudgeonly ("avoid petty laws and useless officials") and ominous ("guide reproduction wisely").
Zoom in: Over six episodes, McBrien interviews local guidestones aficionados and braves a minefield of research and reporting to explore eugenics, conspiracy culture, extremism and small-town mysteries.
- McBrien, who grew up in Marietta and learned about the guidestones in high school, told Axios he was fascinated by how people projected their political and ideological anxieties onto the monuments.
- Like many conspiracy theories, the columns show how mystery, wonder, and whimsy can curdle into fear, extremism, and destructive action.
What they're saying: "There was surveillance footage," McBrien said about the monument's destruction. "There's a getaway car in one of the clips. There's a person you can see in one of the clips walking up to the guidestones."
- "It just seemed like there was enough information out there to catch the person. I think what surprised people most is that it's still an unsolved mystery."
The intrigue: McBrien unearths new details about the explosion. (Sorry, no spoilers.)
State of play: Episodes 1 and 2 are now live on Apple or Spotify..