It Could Happen Here Strange People on the Hill: An Interview with Michael Edison Hayden
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Apr 1, 2026 
Michael Edison Hayden, an investigative journalist who studies far-right movements, discusses his book about Berkeley Springs and the castle takeover. He explores how a white nationalist group's arrival fractured a small town. Conversations cover the castle’s symbolism, local economic and social fallout, national events’ local echoes, and the personal toll of reporting on extremism.
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Tiny Town As A Mirror Of National Radicalization
- The Berkeley Springs conflict mirrors national shifts as extremist ideas filter into mainstream politics.
- Small-town business owners serving liberal tourists felt pressured in a 75% Trump, 90% white county.
National Crises Cascading Into Small Town Life
- Hayden interweaves national events (COVID, BLM, Jan 6, Oct 7) with his time in Berkeley Springs to show cascading impacts.
- He grounds viral trends by showing how five people with signs after George Floyd became a major local flashpoint.
The Personal Cost Of Reporting Extremism
- Covering extremists took a heavy personal toll: Hayden received assassination warnings and graphic threats and later hospitalized for a mental-health crisis.
- He recounts an FBI call warning of a credible assassination threat while with his son.
