St. John's Episcopal Church and Rectory form a complex of log structures in

Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of ...

. The

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

was built first: in 1911 it was a hostel and community center under the supervision of

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Nathaniel Thomas. Church services were held there until 1916, when the church was built. The church and hostel are among the largest log structures in

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unite ...

. The rectory was the first location in Jackson to hold regular Episcopal services, beginning in 1911. Services had been held intermittently since 1908. With the construction of the new church in 1916 the rectory was used as a hostel so that ranchers and lodgers at

dude ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

es more than a day's travel distant could stay overnight. The rectory was also used as a meeting place and social hall, and eventually as a community library with over 1000 volumes. The rectory is a 1-1/2 story building, featuring carefully built log dormers. The 1916 church was built by Butch and Ed Robinson of Jackson, using logs cut and cured by George and Clarence Blain, with finish work by master carpenter Raul A. Imeson. The church and rectory were designed using the locally prevailing

rustic Rustic may refer to: *Rural area *Pastoral Architecture * Rustication (architecture), a masonry technique mainly employed in Renaissance architecture * Rustic architecture, an informal architectural style in the United States and Canada with sever ...

style that was becoming popular for dude ranches and park structures. The church measures approximately by , covered with an open log-trussed roof. This building is now referred to as a chapel, since a new, larger church was built in 1995. The site also includes a 1950s rectory and a frame parish hall, both considered non-contributing structures. St. John's Church operates the

Chapel of the Transfiguration The Chapel of the Transfiguration is a small log chapel in Grand Teton National Park, in the community of Moose. The chapel was sited and built to frame a view of the Cathedral Group of peaks in a large window behind the altar. The chapel, whic ...

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton Na ...

. The church was instrumental in organizing the hospital in Jackson, now named St. John's Medical Center.

References

External links

St. John's Episcopal Church website
* at the National Park Service's NRHP database
St. John's Episcopal Church and Rectory
at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Johns Episcopal Church and Rectory, Jackson, Wyoming Churches completed in 1916 20th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming Buildings and structures in Jackson, Wyoming Episcopal churches in Wyoming Rustic architecture in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Teton County, Wyoming