RedPubPod #058: Steve Hill

The “Best Town in North Carolina” has some explaining to do. Steve Hill returns to RedPubPod with Statesville After Dark: The Worst of the ‘Best Town in North Carolina’, this time bringing the skeletons out of the closet. Richard Eller, Patty Thompson, and Jane St. Clair talk with Steve about murders, the liquor trade, ghost stories, and local scandals behind the familiar streets of his hometown. How did Statesville get that “best town” nickname, anyway? Steve traces it to a railroad conductor with a knack for promotion—and a willingness to give Charlotte second billing. From there, the conversation heads into territory the town’s old advertising probably left out, including Tom Dooley’s hanging and the stories still told about the Vance Hotel’s little ghost girl, Arlene. Bring a flashlight and your phone. With photographs, walking-tour stops, song lyrics, and 43 QR codes linking to 43 songs, Steve’s book lets you stand where a story happened and hear it set to music. Local musicians and members of his own family helped bring those songs to life. The episode features music by Elizabeth Carter, plus a conversation with her about songwriting and how a visit to the Statesville Historical Collection led to her involvement in the book. There’s plenty of laughing around the microphones, but Steve also talks about when humor needs to give way to a serious telling of history. Slavery, Jim Crow, and a tragedy in his own family are part of the record, too. His years of collecting and newspaper research have given him stories he initially struggled to believe. And those scathing “reviews” at the front of the book? Let’s just say the people in these stories have opinions about Steve airing their business. Apparently, Amazon missed the joke, as the fictitious blurbs are attributed to the folks mentioned in the book!) Come celebrate with Steve at the book launch on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 5–8 p.m. at the Statesville Historical Collection, 117 S. Center St., Statesville, NC 28677. The event will include a reading, musicians, light bites, and beverages. Admission is free. Come for the book, stay for the stories—and meet some of the people behind the music. Get your copy of the book at: https://tinyurl.com/StatesvilleAfterDark Might want to check out his first book, too: https://tinyurl.com/InTheShadowOfTheClock Thanks to our RedPubPod sponsor, Taste Full Beans! Stop by for coffee, tea, or a bite to eat, browse their selection of Redhawk books, and tell the staff your literary podcast sent you. Taste Full Beans Coffee, Tea & Café 29 2nd Street NW, Hickory, NC (828) 325-0108 https://www.tastefullbeans.com Don’t forget to FOLLOW, SHARE, LIKE, & SUBSCRIBE to RedPubPod! Know someone who loves local North Carolina history, true crime, or a good ghost story? Send this episode their way. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedhawkPub/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redhawkcreative/