The Downtown Rawlins Historic District comprises the central business district of Rawlins, Wyoming and dates from the 1880s. It is located within the traditional commercial area of Rawlins that extends from the Union Pacific Railroad on the south to West Spruce Street on the north and from Third Street on the east to Sixth Street on the west. The buildings within the district are generally one or two-story brick commercial buildings interspersed with several important social and government buildings.

The original Downtown Rawlins Historic District nomination was prepared in 1984 and was based on an intensive survey at that time. In 1998 the area was resurveyed to determine the feasibility of expanding the district boundaries. The expanded district contains fourty-four buildings, thirty-two of which are considered to be contributing elements to the district. The Historic District is significant as the original commercial heart of a major Wyoming city that became the county seat of Carbon County. From its humble origins as one of hundreds of railroad towns along the Union Pacific mainline, it grew into a modern city with a diversified economy that today serves a regional ranching, oil and gas, and industrial community. Because of its location on the first transcontinental railroad with a permanent water source in an otherwise semi-arid region, it became a major division point for the Union Pacific Railroad.

In the twentieth century, it was located on the first transcontinental auto highway (the Lincoln Highway). Therefore, it has also played a key role in state, regional, and national transportation. The District is also significant because it represents several different architectural styles and influences ranging from simple commercial storefronts to high style, architect-designed buildings. The buildings of the District reflect several identifiable building periods in the town's history and also represent the use of several different building materials, including wood, locally quarried stone, brick, stucco, terra cotta, and concrete.

The France Memorial United Presbyterian Church in Rawlins is historically significant as it is the structure housing one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in Wyoming, first organized in 1869. The church building, completed in 1882, is one of the oldest remaining structures in Rawlins and serves as a landmark in the city. The building has functioned as a social, cultural and religious center of the town and has contributed significantly to the broad patterns of the area's history.

As one of the oldest ecclesiastical structures in Rawlins, France Memorial is the only church in the city constructed of stone. Built only a few years after the Union Pacific completed tracks through the state, France Memorial is an early example of the Gothic Revival style in Wyoming. The use of Gothic Revival features in a church constructed in an isolated Wyoming town demonstrated an awareness and interest in architectural and philosophical trends of the day.

The George Ferris Mansion and carriage house are excellent examples of the popular Victorian architectural style known as Queen Anne. The design of the building came from a well known architectural firm, Barber and Klutz, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Ferris House is a locally prominent landmark which derives its significance from two principal areas: commerce and architecture.

The historical significance of the building lies with its association with George Ferris, one of Wyoming's more prominent businessmen. He gained statewide political prominence as a member of the House in the 1873 and 1875 Territorial Legislative Assemblies and as a delegate to the Wyoming Constitutional Convention from Carbon County. By the time ground was broken in 1899 for his house overlooking Rawlins, Ferris had acquired sole ownership of the Ferris-Haggarty mine in the Grand Encampment copper mining district and was at the zenith of his financial success.

Designed by an architect nationally known for opulent houses, this small mansion was intended to represent the family's ascension into the ranks of the state's wealthy elite. Ferris, however, was killed near his mine the following year, and it was left up to his widow Julia to complete the building three years later. Architecturally, the house is an excellent example of Queen Anne residential design. Completed in 1903, nearly two decades after its architectural peers in Cheyenne and Laramie, the Ferris House is perhaps the last of the great Victorian mansions built in Wyoming.

Pine Grove Station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978 under Criterion A for its role in the operation of the Overland Trail. This revision adds the Pine Grove Cemetery to the boundary and extends the site’s period of significance to 1904. Additional information supports eligibility under Criterion D for its statewide significance in Historic Archaeology. Archaeological investigations at the site in 2017 and 2019 have demonstrated there is potential to answer important research questions pertaining to historically-documented attacks on the station, subsistence, and mortuary practices.

Pine Grove Station (48CR11377) is located in southeastern Carbon County, WY. Pine Grove Station is composed of two sites: the Pine Grove Stage Station (48CR430) and Pine Grove Cemetery (48CR9315). Both sites are related to the operation of the Overland Trail through Carbon County from 1862 – 1869 and as a hub of rural community activity after the stage station era until 1904. The Pine Grove Cemetery overlooks Pine Grove Stage Station to the south. The cemetery contains three definitive and one possible grave(s) marked with small groupings of stones and the remnants of wooden crosses. Historical anecdotes suggest there could be somewhere between five and eight graves on the hill, indicating unmarked graves are potentially present. In 1869, the completion of the transcontinental railroad spelled the quick decline for overland route operations. Despite the abandonment of the Overland Stage Line itself, the rich forage, ample fuel, and fresh water present at Pine Grove continued to draw early settlers and travelers to the site until around 1904, reaching a maximum population of 57 individuals living in the local area. These individuals and subsequent use by early ranching families augmented the stage station era facilities at the site, adding buildings, foundations, and late 19th to early 20th century refuse to the site. By the 1930s, Pine Grove had been abandoned and the buildings fell into disrepair. Today the site is archaeological in nature and exhibits five features interpreted as the remnants of structures and a large number of artifacts. Archaeological investigations at the site have identified two features with cultural materials linking them to the operation of the stage station and three features dating only to later use by early settlers.

Also known as the Sheep Hill/Capital Hill Historic District, the Rawlins Residential Historic District is adjacent to the north and east sides of the traditional commercial district of the town. The City of Rawlins is located along the first transcontinental railroad route, so that its original focus was the rail yards and depot. The city generally grew northward, and the commercial district lies to the north and west of the brick railroad depot. The residential district represents the natural expansion of early residential needs. Residences within the district share tree-lined streets, uniformity of setbacks, and continuity of vegetation. The district is characterized by both large homes and small simply detailed houses set regularly along streets. Houses date primarily from the late 1880s to the 1930s. The character of the neighborhood was well established by 1915, with a majority of the houses constructed in the first two decades of the twentieth century.

The Historic District contains the homes of many of the city's more affluent and influential residents of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Housing designs within the district reflect influences and simplified adaptations from a variety of design styles.

Through design elements taken from Stick, Italianate, Classic, Queen Anne, Greek and Shingle styles, many homes in the district demonstrate the Victorian talent for borrowing and combining to create a vital expression of the eclectic spirit. Residences are mostly one or one and one-half story wood frame with novelty siding and/or shingled exteriors, interspersed with a few brick homes with similar designs. Only one home is constructed of locally quarried stone. However, a large number of homes retain handcrafted stone retaining walls with ornamental caps and endposts that help unify the neighborhood.

The Union Pacific Railroad Depot is a one-story brick and granite transportation structure with Richardsonian Romanesque elements constructed in 1901 with a baggage and telegraph addition to the west side (1901-1903) and an Eating House addition to the east side (1903-1912). The Depot is representative of the influence of the railroad and its transportation connections as related to the development and growth of Rawlins. The railroad served as a reason for settlement and its transportation links provided support for the development of other industries and expansion of the city.

The Wyoming State Penitentiary is one of Wyoming's most significant historic sites. The penitentiary complex is historically and architecturally important on both a local and regional level. The placement of the State Penitentiary in Rawlins reflected the political and economic realities of nineteenth century Wyoming, and its construction and use provided a stabilizing influence for the railroad town. As one of the oldest state-supported institutions, it serves as a physical reminder of the tenets of the Wyoming Constitution and associated legislation. The Romanesque buildings at the state prison architecturally describe the prevalent stylistic concerns in Wyoming in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. Within the boundaries of the State Penitentiary's Historic District are buildings that range in construction date from 1891. The historic buildings can generally be divided into three stylistic categories: Romanesque, Mission, and utilitarian. The Romanesque structures, such as the administration building, cell block A, laundry, guard quarters-powerhouse complex, and commissary, are distinctive public buildings constructed of stone. The prison's association with a prominent architect, Walter E. Ware, also contributes to the penitentiary's architectural importance.