The enigmatic Georgia Guidestones have many mysteries surrounding them: who was the shadowy group that asked for them to be built; what is the true meaning of the inscriptions; and why was the monument built in the first place? But there is one question that hasn’t been asked as often: why were they built near Elberton, in rural Georgia, U.S.A?

Until now, the answer to that question would likely have been through the ‘origin story’ of the Guidestones: on a Friday afternoon in June 1979, a gentleman calling himself Robert C. Christian walked into the office of Elberton Granite Finishing, and began discussing his plans for a stone monument, and that he’d come to Elberton because he believed its quarries produced the finest granite on the planet.

But could the real answer be more interesting and esoteric? Phil Freeman, a long-time Daily Grail reader, pointed out to me that, while Elberton is the larger town in the general vicinity of the Guidestones, the nearest town is actually a small village by the name of ‘Dewy Rose’.

This is either an extraordinary coincidence, or is – perhaps more likely – the real reason the Guidestones were positioned where they are. Because, as Phil rightly points out, the word ‘dew’ and ‘rose’ are both intimately tied to the Rosicrucian tradition. And we know the original designers of the Georgia Guidestones linked themselves to that esoteric tradition: the man who walked into Elberton Granite Finishing went under the pseudonym ‘R.C. Christian’, an obvious tip of the hat to the (likely mythical) founder of the Rosicrucian movement, Christian Rosenkreutz (Christian Rose Cross/Christian R.C.). And the message on the Guidestones is a manifesto of sorts for a spiritual, scientific transformation leading to an ‘Age of Reason’, just as the original Rosicrucian manifestos were (for a more in-depth look at the true message of the Georgia Guidestones, see my article “Beyond the Apocalypse”).

So what is the link to ‘Dewy Rose’? In The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, esoteric scholar Frances Yates mentions an old, perhaps mistakenly discarded theory about the etymology of the word Rosicrucian, which argued…

…that the name ‘Rosicrucian’ was not derived from ‘Rose’ and ‘Cross’, but from Ros (dew) and Crux, having an alchemical meaning connected with dew as a (supposed) solvent of gold and with the cross as the equivalent of light. Without attempting to pentrate these alchemical mysteries, it can be said that the discovery of the close association of [John] Dee’s Monas and its motto on the ‘dew of heaven’ with the Rosicrucian manifesto may now give some support to the Ros Cross theory.

This mixed etymology has led a number of modern esotericists to suggest – rightly or wrongly – that “the proper symbol for the Rosicrucian Order is a picture of a rose flower with dew droplets on the petals” – literally, a ‘dewy rose’.

As such, I initially thought that perhaps the placename ‘Dewy Rose’ might be new, created as an ‘in-joke’ about the Guidestones’ creators. But the small town is in fact a couple of centuries old – and the origin of its name, according to the book Peculiar, Uncertain & Two Egg: The Unusual Origins of More Than 3000 American Place Names, is actually rather mundane:

Dewy Rose: Elbert County. In the early 1800s, a community was established on this site and was called Willis Crossing. When a post office was set up, the postmaster wanted a more unique name and one that would not be easily confused with any other. Early one morning, his young daughter went out into the yard where dew covered the ground. Entranced by the glistening picture before her, she ran back into the house and excitedly exclaimed, ‘Daddy, come outside and look at the dewy roses!’

Could there be more to the placename than this folklore attests, and it was originally settled by Rosicrucian adepts with plans for an eventual monument? Possibly, although without any further information that would be pure speculation. Or, perhaps more likely, a modern Rosicrucian-aligned group noticed the placename and decided to undertake their grand project there?A Dewy Rose by any other name would perhaps not have smelled quite as sweet…

Or is it really just an extraordinary coincidence?

Just one more element to add to the wonderful mystery of the Georgia Guidestones.