Historic Huntersville school that was epicenter of Black learning still serves community 100 years later

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) – Before the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, African American children faced a tremendous challenge when it came to formal learning.

But for more than 30 years, a school in north Mecklenburg County took on the task.

Tucked away in the historic Black community of Pottstown in Huntersville, sits a plain white building with a deep, colorful history.

The Torrence Lytle Community Center in Huntersville is a historic building built in 1925 that... — The Torrence Lytle Community Center in Huntersville is a historic building built in 1925 that once served as the epicenter of Black learning.(WBTV)

In 2025, the historic school known as Huntersville Colored High School, then later the Torrence-Lytle High School, is a simple building sitting near the back of about a three-acre property in Huntersville.

But in the early 1900s — when legal segregation and Jim Crow laws made it nearly impossible for Black children to receive a quality education — this institution was the epicenter of Black learning.

“In 1925, this school opened up. It served the Pottstown community and the other surrounding communities for African American children from 1925 until 1958,” said Tommy Warlick, historic preservation specialist with Mecklenburg County Historic Landmarks.

Surrounded by tall trees and forestry to shield it from new construction in town, the property maintains its historic nature. At one point, the property was all farmland.

But, along with the change in landscape, the building has gone through some changes of its own.

“This, all the way to that side over there, would have been windows coming all the way down. There were five of them side by side, nine panes over nine panes so, huge windows to let the sunshine in so the kids could see,” Warlick said, passionately describing the architecture as we walked around.

With its modern upgrades, the building has electricity and running water. The space has served as a gathering spot since the school officially shut its doors, several years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.

“When it was closed, the local community here in Pottstown formed a civic organization called the Huntersville Better Community Civic Organization and bought the property, turning it into a community center,” Warlick said.

As the building approaches 100 years of service to the community, Warlick tells us they’re hosting a panel of Lytle School alumni.

“One of our panelists actually not only graduated from here, [but] also went on to the high school at Torrence-Lytle, and was recruited back while she was a high school student by these teachers to come help them teach the younger children,” Warlick said.

From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, there will be several events to celebrate the building’s contributions, along with the reveal of a state historic landmark sign.

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