Great Barrington — A small group of community members, ultimately swelling to more than 30, gathered Monday (February 6) beneath the dilapidated spire of the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church on Elm Court in Great Barrington to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the dedication of the church with a collective vision of bringing it back to life and to purpose. With the spires of two other congregations visible in the distance, on a Main Street currently bookended by church restoration and adaptive-reuse projects, the issues facing this congregation and others in town was sharp and clear in the crisp February air.
“I like this church. I always have” remarked Wray Gunn of the historic downtown landmark that has fallen into such disrepair that it will become impossible to save if immediate action isn’t taken. Gunn, longtime church member and chair of the nonprofit Clinton Church Restoration (CCR), articulated the project’s mission, in essence to “preserve the memory of the people who worshipped here, sang here and taught their children here.” The goal of the restoration project is to purchase, preserve and restore the decommissioned church for community use in a manner that celebrates and honors the local African American community, W.E.B. DuBois’ legacy, Great Barrington’s history, African American spiritual tradition and the work of the late Reverend Esther Dozier.
Former Clinton A.M.E. Zion pastor Dozier was remembered in the noon ceremony by her two sisters. Reverend Mattie Conaway offered an invocation, asking for the “uplifting of this building” and the “sanctifying of this project” while Pearle Conaway recounted her sister’s joy, enthusiasm and humility, all of which were evident in her love for life and for her church. Dozier’s contributions to the community were many, and she wore myriad hats from Sunday School teacher to local preacher to ordained pastor. Her involvement in local charities, including Construct, led to her being well respected in the interfaith community. Dozier, who became the church’s first female minister in 2003, was killed in 2007.
Longtime Clinton A.M.E. Zion congregant, Peter Wilson, sang an impromptu rendition of the Tim McGraw hit, “Humble and Kind.” Wilson, 66, was raised in the church and attended on Monday to “relive memories of the church,” a special place for his family. “I’d be devastated to see [our church] torn down” he said, adding that he hopes the CCR project will result in the building at 9 Elm Court continuing as a church. Wilson points to declining attendance and a real need for the younger generation to take over from elders as being the biggest issues at hand. “Young people are not coming to church anymore” he said.
The Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an important site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. “The historic and cultural value of the Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church cannot be overstated,” said Dan Bolognani, executive director of Housatonic Heritage, whose organization, based in Salisbury, Conn., has partnered with CCR. “Generations of African Americans in Berkshire County, including pioneering scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, have looked to the Church as a place of worship, education, political and social activism, and entertainment.”
There are but two places on earth, remarked Gunn, that commemorate the life of DuBois; one being Accra, Ghana, the place of his death and the other, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the place of his birth. Gunn recalls the dedication of the DuBois boyhood homesite, calling it “The 1969 Debacle” but quickly adding that “it didn’t turn out that bad.” Gunn’s reference is to the dedication of the W.E.B DuBois Memorial Park, on Route 23, that took place amidst newspaper attacks and reported threats of violence and disruption before a crowd of more than 800. “[There was] more opposition to blacks in the community [at that time]” said Gunn, noting that racial opposition played a role in those times and that “things are changing quite a bit.”
Gunn was frank in pointing out that African Americans have always been a small minority of the town population — citing 2 to 3 percent — and that most notably “treatment of blacks in the housing sector has been difficult to overcome.” While he remembers relationships between blacks and whites at that time being “cordial,” he also points to there being “lots of surprises.” In the 1950s, shortly after Gunn and his wife, Cora, were married, they found it “very difficult to get a place to live” he recalls. But Gunn’s approach is, “you gotta get over it. You gotta reach your hand out.” While Gunn spoke first of the obstacles to be handled, he segued quickly to the power of talking things out as opposed to resorting to proverbial sticks and stones.
Beth Carlson, community activist, pointed to the CCR project as evidence of “work into the future, active work of social transformation in a multicultural manner.” Carlson credits the individuals, coming together from all walks of life, to do what she calls, “foundational work in our community.” She acknowledged this moment in history as a poignant opportunity to address the division in the country due to the recent presidential election.
Plans to purchase, restore and adaptively-reuse the historic church will require $70,000 to purchase the building, and $100,000 to stabilize the project. The property is currently under a purchase contract with CCR, with a deadline of March 31 to complete the transaction. To date, “a hair under 50K in donations” has been raised according to Great Barrington Selectboard member Ed Abrahams. At present, a $10,000 challenge grant is underway, as announced by the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, and available immediately to the Clinton Church Restoration, LLC, the local nonprofit that has formed to address the plight of the church. The challenge grant will match dollar for dollar every new donation received by CCR between February 1 and March 15, up to $10,000. Organizers anticipate that the announcement will spur a renewed interest in restoring the structure, and that current and new donors will rise to the challenge with new donations.
Gunn, in his closing remarks, quoted Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could when summing up the Clinton A.M.E. Zion congregation’s journey to the top of the proverbial mountain and over to the other side; what began as a collective mantra of, “I think I can, I think I can” is soon to be one of, “I knew I could, I knew I could.” Of the church, it “holds memories of the people who kept it going for so long” he said. And so, while there may be those who wish to throw in the towel and ostensibly erase the memory of W.E.B. DuBois, Gunn and his supporters have chosen to persevere. To donate online, or for details about the purchase and restoration, visit www.GBClintonChurch.org.
