A Place for Community
In the summer of 2019, the people of Jackson came together to Save the Block in downtown Jackson, Wyoming. Through an ambitious fundraising effort led by the Jackson Hole Land Trust, more than 2,500 community members rallied to protect the open space, historic buildings, and towering cottonwoods before they were lost forever to new, large-scale development.
Our Story: Teton Trust
As the Save the Block campaign was wrapping up, it became apparent the the three historic buildings needed their own preservation easements. The Jackson Hole Land Trust Board of Directors considered taking on these easements, but ultimately decided that historic preservation was outside the Land Trust’s scope of work.
In response, local preservationist joined forces to create Teton Trust for Historic Places to hold and monitor the historic preservation easements on the three buildings. At the time historic preservation easements were not used in Wyoming. Today, Teton Trust is still one of only two organizations providing historic preservation easements in the state.
Today—A Successful Program
In the Trust’s first five years of operation we’ve added four easements to the original three Block easements. As we move into the Fall of 2025, we have two more easements in process.
The Trust’s partnership with the Town of Jackson’s Historic Preservation Program makes historic preservation feasible for local property owners. Teton Trust documents the historic significance of the resource and negotiates the easement contract with the property owner. Once the property is under easement, it is eligible for incentives through the Jackson Historic Preservation Program.
Perpetuity
The Trust’s goal is to play an important role in supporting the continuing preservation of our historic community character. Early in its formation, the Trust’s founding board members decided that Teton Trust easements would be “in perpetuity”. To this day, every Teton Trust easement is forever.
Our Mission
To facilitate the preservation of Teton County’s historic structures and landscapes in perpetuity through partnerships with property owners, nonprofits, and government entities.
Objectives
- To increase awareness of historic preservation tools and opportunities
- To increase the availability of historic preservation resources, such as trained appraisers
- To educate real estate agents and developers to use historic easements
- To ensure that historic easements will be enacted on local historic properties
