Moulton Museum works to keep the history of Orange County and its ranching era alive. The museum actively archives, restores, and preserves Orange County historical artifacts. We honor the pioneer spirit.
Moulton Museum works to keep the history of Orange County and its ranching era alive. It will be opening in summer 2022. It will have rotating exhibits that feature Lewis F. Moulton’s ranching legacy, Nellie Gail Moulton’s artwork, daily life, business culture, and local history. The museum actively archives, restores and preserves Orange County historical artifacts from farm implements and buggies to documents, artwork and images of the period.
The archive contains family photos, maps, furniture, ephemera, personal papers, and corporate history. The Moulton Museum is committed to sharing its collection with the public. Expanding the collective understanding of the ranching era and its lasting impact on the economic, social, architectural and cultural fabric of Orange County is at the core of the Moulton Museum’s mission. Support us by becoming a partner with your charitable donation. We are a 501c3 non-profit.
Lewis married Nellie Gail Moulton in 1908 and built their family ranch home with a luscious garden. As an educator, Nellie taught in the Seattle area in the early 1900s and shared these lessons with her daughters Charlotte and Louise. Nellie, an en plein air artist, supported Orange County’s creative community by devoting much of her time and resources. Her generous financial partnership secured the future of the Laguna Playhouse & Moulton Theatre, Laguna Art Museum & Moulton Hall, Laguna College of Art + Design, and Chapman University.
Additional community partners include the Moulton Elementary School and Aliso Viejo Ranch’s 7.7 acre parcel of interpretive history. Former Moulton Ranch land was conserved by OC Parks with the development by Mission Viejo Company with the creation of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.
This parcel is the 4,500 acres of pristine, open landscape with a visitor’s center housed with artifacts for the rangers to interpret. Louise Moulton Hanson, Nellie’s youngest daughter, helped maintain this heritage by dedicating her 14,000 acres of Santa Barbara cattle ranch land to the California Rangeland Trust. Charlotte Moulton Mathis, Nellie’s oldest daughter, inspired her children to maintain the ranching lifestyles to the current era. The heirs of the Moulton Ranch began Moulton Museum, a 501c3 non-profit, to continue the family legacy of community involvement and heritage preservation.
The Moulton Company is a family owned and operated private equity asset management company based in Irvine, CA. Formed in 2007, The Moulton Company manages residential, commercial retail and industrial properties nationwide with most holdings located in Southern California. Some of the portfolio properties have been held in the Moulton family for over 100 years. The Moulton Ranch, predecessor to The Moulton Company, was a sheep and cattle ranch that stretched from present day Lake Forest to Dana Point and encompassed approximately 22,000 acres.
Moulton Museum works to keep the history of Orange County and its ranching era alive. The museum actively archives, restores and preserves Orange County historical artifacts.
