Betsy Wakefield Teter’s newest book, “A Carnival of Crime: Murder, Mischief, and Malice in 1890s Spartanburg,” explores the city’s tragically interesting past.
By Ledger Wham
Spartanburg native and award-winning author Betsy Wakefield Teter described historic Spartanburg as a place “where prosperity and violence often advanced side by side, leaving behind stories that still echo more than a century later.”
In her new book, “A Carnival of Crime: Murder, Mischief, and Malice in 1890s Spartanburg,” Teter explores Spartanburg’s rich history through a lens that appeals to both the history buff and the true crime fan.
However, Teter’s impressive career did not start with this book. She began her writing career as a journalist working across the Carolinas and later co-founded the Hub City Writers Project, where she has edited and published more than 80 books.
Bringing Spartanburg’s past to life
On Wednesday night, Spartanburg County Public Libraries’ Headquarters Library hosted a book talk with Teter that quickly overflowed with attendees.
At the talk, Teter explained the passion behind her book, saying, “One of my favorite things to do here is to resurrect an obscure character from history… That is thrilling to me. That is powerful.”
“A Carnival of Crime” tells a vast array of stories, from a rogue mayor climbing on top of a cannon to an account of a child’s execution. The book brings to light important stories in Spartanburg’s history that its residents might otherwise never know.
The book is set during the economic boom of the Gilded Age.
“It’s an interesting book about a town that’s trying to show up nationally as an industrial power where things could have exploded,” Teter said.
Through the nuanced lens of race, class and gender, Teter tells compelling stories that reveal the heated tensions of 1890s Spartanburg and their echoes today.
Sharing the same stage
Teter’s skilled storytelling and language encourage readers to reflect on how Spartanburg’s history is intertwined with the modern day.
“There are layers of drama that happen here, and layers of good people and bad people. And they were all here before us and they share the same stage that we are on today,” Teter said during the talk.
Teter ended her talk by saying, “I love writing this kind of history because the stage for these stories is right outside the doors of this library… We think we’re the only ones that ever lived in this place.”
Readers are not only entertained by the intriguing and unusual stories but also confronted with the history of a town they call home.
To explore the depths of Spartanburg’s nuanced past, readers can look for “A Carnival of Crime” at Hub City Bookshop in downtown Spartanburg.
Author: Ledger Wham
Junior at Converse University in South Carolina. Majoring in History and Politics.
