Jumping on the bandwagon for America’s 250th anniversary this summer, the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills is offering a special exhibit titled “Scenes of the American Revolution: The Augmented Experience.”
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The exhibition provides an immersive exploration of the nation’s founding moments, events and personalities through augmented reality and historical interpretation.
It was produced in partnership with the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and developed by the French technology firm Histovery. Touch screen tablets transport visitors to important moments of the American Revolution through layered digital reconstructions of paintings and illustrations.
These 3D recreations offer museumgoers a deeper engagement with the past, according to museum publicist Jacquelyn Sharga.
The exhibit is traveling the country, and the Moulton Museum is the only West Coast venue to display it, she said.
A visitor holds a touch screen tablet to view 3D recreations of scenes from the American Revolution in the immersive exhibit “Scenes of the American Revolution: The Augmented Experience” at the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills. The exhibit runs through October 2026. (Courtesy of HNOC via Moulton Museum)
A rendering of a scene from the 1770 Boston Massacre is part of the immersive experience “Scenes of the American Revolution: The Augmented Experience” at the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills. The exhibit runs through October 2026. (Rendered image courtesy of Histovery via Moulton Museum)
A rendering showing soldiers of the Continental Army at Valley Forge is part of the immersive experience “Scenes of the American Revolution: The Augmented Experience” at the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills. The exhibit runs through October 2026.(Rendered image courtesy of Histovery via Moulton Museum)
A Revolutionary War sword from the Moulton family, which will be publicly presented for the first time, is part of the exhibit “Scenes of the American Revolution: The Augmented Experience” at the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills. The exhibit runs through October 2026. (Courtesy of Moulton Museum)
A rendering of the writing of the Declaration of Independence is part of the immersive experience “Scenes of the American Revolution: The Augmented Experience” at the Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills. The exhibit runs through October 2026.(Rendered image courtesy of Histovery via Moulton Museum)
Moulton Museum Executive Director Elisabeth Lange said the exhibit is a “chance to step into the world of the brave men and women who made our country a reality 250 years ago.”
Leveraging technology to render complete 3D worlds based on meticulous historical research, the exhibition is much more than panels on a wall.
“It is a window to the past,” Lange said.
In this augmented experience, eight iconic paintings come to life using iPads called HistoPads that scan famous paintings to offer visitors an immersive and historically accurate glimpse into the world behind each famous painting from the American Revolution.
Local settler Lewis Moulton, for whom the museum is named, was descended from two Massachusetts great-grandfathers who were early patriots in the Revolutionary War. To showcase that connection, the museum is displaying a Revolutionary War sword from the Moulton family, which is being publicly presented for the first time and is believed to have been commissioned by George Washington.
“The sword … is not only a relic of the Revolutionary War, but a concrete connection of the Moulton family’s history to the American Revolution,” Sharga said. “With the inscription ‘J. Moulton’ (for Jotham Moulton) on the sword itself, we can directly connect the Moulton family to one of the most pivotal moments in American history.”
The museum chose to participate in this nationwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States because of the direct family connection between Lewis Moulton and Brig. Gen. Jotham Moulton, Lange said.
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“The Moulton family is rightly proud to be direct descendants of a soldier of the American Revolution, and we wanted to honor that ancestor,” she said. “But more importantly, we wanted to give all residents of the local area a chance to touch history and to understand that they are directly connected to it as well.”
Lange sees few opportunities for local residents to connect with the lives of people in the 13 Colonies and events of the revolution so long ago and far away.
For an exhibition of this caliber, the museum could have charged admission, she said, but in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States and due to the generosity of one of its board members, the display is open free of charge.
“As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, exhibitions such as this play a significant role in public history by bridging the gap between past and present,” Lange said.
“The use of augmented reality not only enhances visitor engagement but also reflects broader trends in museum practice, where technology is increasingly employed to create meaningful and memorable educational experiences.
“The story of the United States continues to evolve, and these anniversary moments give us rare opportunities to reflect on where we started as a nation,” Lange said. “This exhibition is a reminder that the past is very much still with us today, shaping our thoughts and our ideas.”
She hopes visitors take away a sense of connection between themselves and the heroes of the Revolutionary War.
“American democracy is built on the individual actions of many individuals, and this exhibition celebrates that.”
The exhibit runs through October. The Moulton Museum is at 25256 Cabot Rd. in Laguna Hills and is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and the first and second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.