Have you ever been to Statesville after dark? No big deal, right?
The next time you go I suggest you take a closer look because there is a new book plainly telling all of us who can read, that more has gone on there than we might suspect. Historian Steve Hill has been digging and now has documented all the weird, illegal and unsavory aspects of nightlife in “Statesville After Dark.”
This new work is roughly a sequel to his first book, “In The Shadow of the Clock: The History of the Square, Statesville, NC, 1790-1990” about the emergence of a four-block area in the heart of downtown. This time the path extends a bit further. Story-wise, this book satisfies a few itches. First, for those of us intrigued by the rich past of a place that refers to itself as “the best town in North Carolina,” we find out more about the character of its underbelly.
Oh, one vital thing you need to know about Statesville is just how much they celebrate Halloween. Don’t know why, just know that they do. “Statesville After Dark” scratches that desire to want to know what comes out when the street lights go on. Steve Hill has all the gruesome details. Death, murder, theft, it’s all in there. If every community has its secrets, the page of this book uncovers them so, soon we will all know.
There is something I should also tell you about this book. Steve not only writes about the shocking past, he sings about it as well. A gifted storyteller and musician, Steve has conducted walking tours of the downtown area for years. Brining a great knowledge of the stories and the ballad tradition, he has written a number of tunes that preserve the folklore, a custom passed down by generations. Within the pages of “Statesville After Dark” are 43 QR codes that take you to recordings of those songs so you can listen as though you are there.
Which by the way, you should be. After his retirement from the Iredell educational system, Steve opened up the Statesville Historical Collection at 117 South Center Street where he hosts a museum of some incredible artifacts from Statesville’s history. He once told me that he had been collecting that kind of thing all his life. Now he has a home for it all, on display so that we might learn about the city and its times.
On Friday, October 23, 5-8pm, the official launch party for the book will be held. The party will be a great opportunity to see Statesville in full Halloween mode, the downtown dressed for the occasion while Steve autographs copies of “Statesville After Dark” and who knows, he may even play a few songs from the book.
I don’t know why, but we all seem to love the sordid details of lives not lived normally. Steve Hill has collected more than Statesville’s share of strange behavior and now presents them in an entertaining volume. Ever the succinct storyteller, Steve Hill sums it up well in the title of the book, which is in full, “Statesville After Dark: The Worst of the Best Town in North Carolina.”
Photo: Just in time for Halloween (and Christmas) Steve Hill’s new book.
