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Pottstown


As cities, suburbs, and exurbs grow, many smaller communities disappear.  Fortunately, in some cases, residents and descendants of those communities work together to keep those communities alive.  Such is the case of Pottstown in Northern Mecklenburg County.

Pottstown is a historic African American community located within Huntersville. Emancipated blacks founded the community and would later name it after Ortho Potts.  Potts was a brick mason who came from Asheville.  In the years following the Civil War, many African Americans would settle in Pottstown - many were sharecroppers, tenant farmers, household servants, or worked as janitors or kitchen help for local businesses.

Torrence-Lytle High School:

The original 1937 Torrence-Lytle High School building.

Opened in 1937 as the Huntersville Colored High School during the height of the Jim Crow South, Torrence-Lytle High School was the first public high school for Black students in northern Mecklenburg County.  In the mid-1930s, Isaiah Torrence pushed for a new Black high school before the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.  His work led to the construction of four African American High Schools within the county.  The school originally housed grades 1-12.  In 1952, the school was renamed Torrence-Lytle High School in honor of Torrence and Franklin Lytle.

Between 1952 and its eventual closing in 1966, Torrence-Lytle expanded twice.  The United States Supreme Court decision ruling segregation unconstitutional led to the closing of TLHS.  Many Torrence-Lytle students would be reassigned to nearby Northern Mecklenburg High School and other schools.

One of the later additions to the Torrence-Lytle School

The Torrence-Lytle School was added to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark Commission's list of local historic sites in 2005.  It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2026, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission began requesting proposals for the sale and redevelopment of the historic school.  The conditions of the sale would include preserving all four of the school's historic structures, incorporating Pottstown and the school's history into any development, and other preservation requirements.

David B. Waymer Park & Recreation Center:

The remodeled David B. Waymer Recreation Center

Part of Torrence-Lytle's 1957 expansion included a gymnasium.  The gym was home to the Trojans (the team name of TLHS) basketball team.  After decades of disrepair, the former gym and surrounding grounds were preserved as a community center and park within the town of Huntersville.  When the facilities opened in 1988, they were dedicated in honor of David B. Waymer.  Waymer was a leading community figure who promoted community growth, conservation, and agriculture in rural and urban North Carolina.

In the 2010's, the Waymer Center fell into disrepair and was scheduled for demolition.  Pottstown and other local community groups organized and fought for the Waymer Center's renovation.  The groups prevailed, and in 2018, a full-scale renovation of the former TLHS Gym began. 

The restored Torrence-Lytle Trojan gym.

The remodeled recreation center opened in 2020.  It cost $3 million to completely restore and remodel the building.  The center hosts various sports leagues, exercise classes, homeschool and after-school programs, senior activities, and more.  The adjacent park includes tennis and basketball courts; the basketball courts can be converted for street hockey; a playground, picnic shelter, and softball and soccer fields.

Community Activism:

In 2023, Pottstown residents unveiled a new community mural.

Pottstown's proud heritage is reflected in efforts to preserve its community.  Recently, Pottstown residents, current and former, worked hard to influence and protect the community from nearby development.  In November 2025, the Town of Huntersville passed the Pottstown Community Preservation Plan.  The plan protects existing historic structures from demolition, adds additional zoning overlays for future development within Pottstown, and ensures property tax relief for existing residents.

Pottstown could easily be forgotten and overtaken by Huntersville's growth along Highway 115.  Fortunately, the residents of Pottstown had something to say about it.

All photos taken by post author - January 2026 unless otherwise noted.

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