RIVERTON, Wyo. - Community and economic-development leaders are gathering in Riverton this week for the 2021 Wyoming Working Together Conference, and advocates for historic preservation will make the case that saving the state's older storefronts, mansions and other structures can help Wyoming recover from the pandemic's economic fallout.

Thomas Tisthammer, president and founder of Wattle & Daub Contractors, has been renovating older buildings since 1978 and said investments in restoration go directly into local economies.

"Most of the money that goes into a restoration project is for labor, and the building materials are already there," he said. "So you're keeping stuff from going into the landfill as well. You're not tearing something down, scraping it off, and building something new."

Tisthammer said restoring historic structures generates $7 in economic activity for every $1 invested. He added that the cost of rehabbing most older buildings is about half the cost of a new building because you start out with at least a foundation, four walls and a roof already in place.

Casper-based architect Lyle Murtha said it's impossible to match the character of a 100-year-old building with new construction, and pointed to Old Stoney, a 100-year-old school in Sundance that sat empty for 40 years before he helped convert it into a museum and cultural center. After the town added an adjacent city park, Murtha said, Old Stoney now is both a community center and tourist destination.

"Once you tear a building down, it's gone forever," he said. "Even if you're rehabilitating it into some other use, at least some of that history, some of the fabric is still there. And I think people appreciate it."

Tisthammer said most people visiting Wyoming come to see the Old West, not a new mall. He noted that key restoration projects in Cheyenne have helped restore the city's historically vibrant downtown core.

"Buildings like the Union Pacific Depot and the Plains Hotel, they're really monumental sorts of buildings," he said. "They were anchors for the local economy, and then they were also places where people got together, they were a social center."

Five properties are newly added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places this Historic Preservation Month.

The list includes two cemeteries, an old academy building and town firehose house, a 1720s Colonial-style home and what used to be a dairy barn.

Lake View Cemetery in Center Harbor overlooks the Bay, and is known as a well-preserved example of an early 19th-century rural cemetery. Union Cemetery in Portsmouth is smaller and urban, and was established in 1844.

Ben Wilson - state historic preservation officer and director of the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources - noted that cemeteries can be some of the most valuable historical resources.

"Cemeteries are sort of a microcosm of society, and they have a lot to tell us about our local communities - about fashion, about art," said Wilson. "A lot of cemeteries contain public sculpture and really speak about who we are as a people."

Wilson said the Boscawen Academy structure represents the age of academy building - he said academies in New England were the predecessors of today's public and private school systems.

From the 1720s, the John Gregg House is the only remaining home of the original 20 Irish-Scottish families who settled in Nutfield. And New Hampshire's farm heritage is represented in the Houston Barn on the outskirts of Hopkinton.

Wilson added that preserving some of New Hampshire's older buildings can bring environmental benefits.

"We often talk about how we become more energy efficient and try to find ways to conserve energy, deal with climate change," said Wilson. "And really, one of the most energy-efficient buildings is the building that's already built. "

Renovating existing buildings for energy efficiency almost always uses less energy than building from scratch, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Wilson added that the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources has launched a 'historic highway marker quest' - if folks visit at least ten highway markers this month, they can fill out a form on the website and receive a prize.

On Thursday, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is expected to sign a proclamation declaring May of 2022 Historic Preservation Month, part of a national celebration dating back to 1973.

Carrie Edinger, historical program manager with the Sheridan Community Land Trust, said Wyoming has a wealth of buildings and sites where historic events can be remembered. She encouraged residents of all ages to get out and explore their local and regional history.

"If we talk about it and share our memories and those stories, or what items need help being preserved," said Edinger, "it's not only helping to save it and preserve it, but also keep it alive."

Every May, historical societies, preservation groups, and business and civic organizations across the U.S. celebrate Historic Preservation Month through events that promote historic places and heritage tourism, and that demonstrate the economic and social benefits of preservation.

This May marks the fourth annual celebration organized by the Alliance for Historic Wyoming. A complete list of events is available at historicwyoming.org.

Edinger's group has planned a bus tour of the Black Diamond Trail on Tuesday, exploring the region's history of mining millions of tons of coal from seams up to 40 feet thick for trains and power plants.

Edinger also encouraged folks to sign up for a hands-on preservation experience set for Saturday at the Historic Monarch Lutheran Cemetery just off Interstate 90 north of Sheridan.

"Everything from weed eating, cleaning or maintaining the headstones," said Edinger. "And we're also going to do some documentation of the cemetery. We will be creating a map of the cemetery layout."

Volunteers will be spot-checking names on tombstones against a list created by the Sheridan County Library's Wyoming Room.

For anyone interested in learning more about historical preservation, Edinger suggested reaching out to nearby museums and historic groups. She said preservation groups such as the Trust are always looking for curious volunteers.

"Volunteers help with events, they sometimes help with research, and they are also presenters for the Explore History program," said Edinger. "So there's many ways to volunteer, depending on skill level and interest, there's always something to do."

The Montana historical meme contest is back and history has never felt so relevant in the internet age.

The Montana State Library began the contest in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Participants get to sift through the Montana Memory Project's 35,000 photos to create fun images out of history.

Jennifer Birnel, director of Montana Memory Project, said the contest is an opportunity for people to learn more about the state.

"We want people to understand the depth of our history - as well as our culture," said Birnel. "So both of those things play a big part of it. And a lot of our content is very historical in nature, but we also some much more modern pieces of content as well."

The Montana State Library suggests using a meme generator online, which can be found on the Montana Meme-ory contest page. The contest is broken down into three age groups - 10 to 18, 19 to 40, and 41 to 120.

All entries must be submitted by May 13. May is historic preservation month.

Birnel said there have been some fun winners in their past two contests, including an entry from a former employee from the Montana Historical Society.

"He said, 'Leroy always fancied himself a chick magnet,' and it was a picture of a man feeding his chickens," said Birnel, "which I thought was great."

Library staff will select finalists for the contest and then the public will get to vote for the winners May 20 through 27.

Winners will receive history-themed grab bags of prizes, including four buy-one-get-one-free tickets to the Montana Historical Society and prints from Montana artists Charlie Russell and Stan Lynde.