GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - For more than a century, the Clinton Church in Great Barrington served as a center for the area’s Black community, and now, a there’s a new display on its front lawn, dedicated to their history.

Project board member Beth Carlson said,“The history is actually very rich, and very little known, and we’re very excited to have the opportunity to tell those stories.”

The display details the church’s history, as well as the many prominent African-Americans from the Berkshires, like Civil Rights activist W.E.B. DuBois.

Local N.A.A.C.P. president Dennis Powell is the vice-chair for the Clinton Church Restoration Project. He said displays like these are essential to maintaining DuBois’ legacy.

“I was born and raised here in the Berkshires, and never heard about DuBois in school," Powell said. "I heard about DuBois in my home, because that’s what our parents talked about. So it’s significant and important that we keep his memory alive.”

The church itself has been vacant since 2014, and is currently undergoing significant renovations. Carlson said it will be a multi-year process to make it usable again.

“There was a lot of structural damage, so we had to stop efforts to finish the roof, we have a temporary roof on," Carlson said. "We have to stabilize the building before we can move into the next stages.”

Once complete, the old church will house a new education and community center, which Powell said will echo the building’s original purpose as a hub for the Black community.

“I will definitely, if I’m still president, hold a NAACP meeting here for south county," Powell said. "And, if not, I’m sure whoever takes my place will do the same. So we’re just going to make the building come alive again.”