Black Mountain Vice Mayor walks long path to progress

Archie Pertiller, Jr. reflects on journey from segregation to town leadership

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 16, 2023

Archie Pertiller, Jr., a native of Black Mountain, is the first African American vice mayor in the history of the town. Pertiller, who was elected in 2020, was one of the first Black students to attend Black Mountain Elementary school in the desegregation era. Photo by Fred McCormcik

Youthful innocence protected Archie Pertiller, Jr. from bearing the full weight of what was to come in the months ahead, as he walked out of George Washington Carver Elementary School for the final time on the last day of second grade. He would, however, begin to understand it the following fall, as one of the first Black students to step onto the campus of Black Mountain Elementary. 

A year after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 triggered the gradual demise of Jim Crow laws in the South, and a year before Buncombe County Schools would fully integrate in 1966, Pertiller was one of a small group of local African American children in his new school, but he knew one thing for certain. 

“I belonged there,” said Pertiller, who was sworn in as vice mayor last December, becoming the first Black person to hold the office in his native Town of Black Mountain. Much like many of his childhood experiences during the desegregation era, the latest moment was “surreal.”

Pertiller was elected to the Town Council in 2020 with more votes than any candidate in its history, and nominated to serve as vice mayor by fellow councilmember Pam King. He was “honored” to be confirmed to the seat by a unanimous vote. 

“I’m not sure if it has really hit me to this day,” he said. “Normally, I’m not a person who puts too much emphasis on titles, but vice mayor is an important one in our town, and being the first African American to serve in that role is truly special to me.”

Archie Pertiller, Jr. becomes the first African American to serve as vice mayor of the Town of Black Mountain, Dec. 12, 2022, as recites the oath of office. Photo by Fred McCormick

As it does throughout the country, Black History in Pertiller’s hometown tells a story of progress, but at a plodding pace. While the first African Americans arrived in the Swannanoa Valley in the late 1700s, they remained the legal property of the White settlers who brought them for nearly a century. 

Pertiller’s family came to Black Mountain long before the town itself existed.

“I’m a descendant of slaves, and that history has always been important to me, and my family,” Pertiller said.

His great-grandfather, John Myra Stepp, was born into the institution of slavery and emancipated at the age of 15. As a freedman, he operated a mule cart that hauled dirt from the construction site of the Swannanoa Tunnel, and worked as a farmer and veterinarian, before acquiring land and building homes within present-day town limits.

Receiving no formal education as a child, Stepp established much of what later became known as the Brookside community, situated near present-day Flat Creek Road. He used some of the profits from the real estate investments to fund the first Black school in the Swannanoa Valley.

The legacy of Stepp, who passed away at the age of 105, only 17 months before Pertiller was born, has always inspired his great-grandson.

The streets of Black Mountain are much busier than they were when Pertiller was a child, as the town has experienced tremendous growth, and shifting demographics. No longer do a pair of thriving Black communities bookend the town on the east and west, as the 2020 U.S. Census estimates African Americans represent 1.7% of the population.

But, Pertiller vividly recalls many African American families who resided in the Cragmont and Brookside communities when he was growing up, creating an environment where he began to understand the importance of strong leaders. His father, Archie Pertiller. Sr., who passed away in 2018, stood among many other pillars of the local Black community.

Pertiller, Sr. was a deacon at Mill Chapel Baptist Church, where his son is still a member, and was one of the founders of the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, which has assisted local residents in need for nearly 50 years. He also served as an auxiliary officer with the Black Mountain Police Department.

“My dad, and several other gentlemen, were well-known figures in our community, so when it came to being involved with the Town, I believe a strong sense of responsibility to their community played a big part in them taking on roles with the police department,” he said.

Pertiller Jr. considers himself fortunate to have been raised in a community with strong leaders, but he was well into adulthood before John B. Hamilton, known to many as Bo, became the first African American resident to serve on the Town Council, nearly a century after Black Mountain was established. Hamilton, a veteran of World War II who established a trash collection service that operated in the Swannanoa Valley for decades, was re-elected to the seat in 1993.

"I knew the Hamilton family well, and everybody in the Valley knew and respected Mr. Hamilton because of his business,” Pertiller, Jr. said. “His election was a big deal, because he was another pillar of the local Black community, so there was a real sense of pride when he was served on the board.”

Hamilton was a pioneering businessman and community leader, but it would take another 14 years after his final term before Carlos Showers followed the trail he blazed. Showers, who was elected to the town council twice, beginning in 2009, served on the governing body until his death in 2020.

“Carlos was a smart, and very personable man,” Pertiller, Jr. said of the Showers, who moved to Black Mountain from Alabama. “He was a family man, which I liked, and Godly man, which I liked even more. I had tremendous respect for him.”

Black Mountain Vice Mayor Archie Pertiller, Jr. speaks to the audience in the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, Feb. 4, during the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering. Photo by Fred McCormick

Earlier this month, Pertiller Jr. was reminded of those who came before him when he was asked to read a proclamation at the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering. The memories of being one of the first African American students to attend what had long been an all-White public school also remained fresh in his mind.

While many people drive past the Carver Center today and view it as a quaint community building tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, it’s one of many landmarks that takes Pertiller, Jr.’s mind back to a different era.

“I think about it often,” he said of his old school. “The daughter of my second grade teacher, Ms. Pinkston, used to babysit me when I was really young, so my teacher was almost like family to me. It was such a warm and caring environment.”

He shares equally fond memories of the teacher who eased his transition into Black Mountain Elementary.

“Her name was Josephine Edwards, and she was awesome,” Pertiller, Jr. said. “From the first day, she made me feel like I belonged. I was vulnerable, and kind of scared, and there was something about her that really put me at ease.”

That sense of belonging, which was established by his enslaved ancestors and instilled in Pertiller, Jr. by his parents as a child, was validated when the citizens of his hometown supported his run for town council. It was reinforced when his fellow elected leaders approved his nomination as vice mayor.

“Black Mountain has always been a special place,” Pertiller, Jr. said. “It was a great place to grow up, and it’s still a great place to live. We’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have more to go. But, knowing the people here had faith I would do what was best for them gave me hope.”