Historic Preservation Month
By Megan Stanfill, AHW Executive Director, and Andrea Graham, AHW Board President
History of HPM in the US and in Wyoming
Through the successful advocacy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, President Nixon proclaimed the first National Historic Preservation Week for the second week of May in 1973. In 2005, the National Trust expanded the celebration to last the entire month of May. Since 2005, the celebration in Wyoming has taken on many forms. From 2008 until 2016, the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office published posters featuring historic sites across the state and hosted the governor’s proclamations. Today, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming serves as the coordinating organization of the statewide celebration, working with communities to host and promote events.
Today’s Celebration
The Alliance for Historic Wyoming organized their first Historic Preservation Month in 2019. As a statewide organization, they saw it as an opportunity to promote local events all across Wyoming, and to serve as a central information point to recognize the good work being done at the town and county levels. Now in its seventh year, this month-long observation also includes daily social media posts featuring the state’s unique places and landscapes to showcase the good work being done in preserving our history for future generations. There are consistently 30 organizations across Wyoming that host events, lectures, exhibits, movie screenings, ribbon cuttings, proclamation signings, tours, and community gatherings as part of the celebration. Each community takes a unique approach to how and where they celebrate.
The Alliance started an award program in 2024 to honor historic preservationists for their achievements. The awards, named after founding AHW board member Mary Humstone, recognize the immense efforts by individuals and organizations working to preserve places that matter the most to them. Mary Humstone has left a lasting impact on the preservation movement in Wyoming, and these awards honor that legacy.
Preservation is Progress
The Alliance selected the theme of ‘Preservation is Progress’ for the 2025 celebration, highlighting how preserving our historic places and spaces continues to positively impact our everyday lives. This theme draws on the ways historic preservation furthers our collective identity, through economic revitalization, education, and innovation by laying the foundation for an informed future grounded in our past.
Leaving our Mark
Historic Preservation Month serves as a time of positive reflection and celebration of a cause that is often portrayed in a negative light. The preservation of historic buildings, landscapes, and traditions in their physical context retains a strong tangible connection to those who came before us, shaping the way we live our lives today. As time moves forward, historic resources become increasingly vulnerable, from encroaching development, loss of funding, neglect, or even natural deterioration over time. Celebrating and educating the public about historic preservation allows us to collectively recognize the great efforts taken to ensure that our irreplaceable resources will persist, and we can continue experiencing and learning from them long into the future.
Photos Courtesy of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming