History Is Not Just Behind Us. It Lives Through Us.

The Dallas Historical Society is the steward of the Hall of State; a 1936 Texas Centennial landmark and one of the most visited cultural venues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Their mandate is the preservation and presentation of Dallas and Texas history. Housed in a historical building, the stories that were worth sharing far outnumbered the space itself.

The challenge was building a platform flexible enough to share different parts of Texas history that could rotate seasonally, evolve as new content emerged, and give museum staff the tools to manage it independently.

QuantumERA designed and built Texas History Lens — a modular interactive exhibit platform anchored by dual kiosks and a custom-designed display case, all managed through a CMS that allows the Dallas Historical Society to rotate content fully in-house between seasonal editions.

The three editions below each bring a different dimension of Dallas history to life.

Juneteenth: Honoring Freedom

The inaugural edition marked the first time in the Dallas Historical Society’s history that they had presented a dedicated installation on Juneteenth. At its center was one of the most significant artifacts in the collection: an original copy of General Order No. 3, the document issued by General Gordon Granger that formally declared freedom for enslaved individuals in Texas. QuantumERA worked closely with DHS to design a custom display case built to complement the Hall of Heroes’ existing aesthetic, remain mobile for future use, and keep the document visible to visitors of all heights.

The first interactive kiosk shared oral histories detailing personal accounts from newly freed individuals. An interactive map of Texas allowed visitors to watch and listen to these stories from people all over the state. The second kiosk traced Juneteenth’s arc from its Texas origins to its recognition as a federal holiday.

The photobooth transported visitors directly into period-specific Juneteenth scenes with a brief narrative description of the events depicted and an option to email the photo as a keepsake. A community video archive invited Hall of State visitors to record their own reflections on Juneteenth, building a living collection that grows with each visitor who chooses to participate.

Dallas History Makers

The second edition of Texas History Lens celebrates the influential Dallas figures who shaped the city’s cultural, civic, and artistic identity. The experience was organized across six categories: Music, Film & Television, Fine Arts, Innovation, Civics, and Sports.

Each category pairs a biographical profile of featured Dallas History Makers with a custom mini-game mechanic designed around the subject matter.

Music

Users must pass a mini game challenge testing their knowledge of Dallas music icons.

Film & Television

Users must pass a mini game challenge testing their knowledge of Dallas film icons.

Fine Arts

Users must pass a mini game challenge testing their knowledge of Dallas artists.

Sports

Users must pass a mini game challenge testing their knowledge of Dallas sports icons.

Innovation

Users must complete a matching game where they match Dallas innovators their invention.

Civics

Users must complete a matching game where they must match Dallas civic leaders to the landmarks they are best known for.

Sessions are time-managed to ensure equitable access, with progress tracking, an interactive wrap-up at the session’s end, and a personalized exit survey that only surfaces the History Makers each visitor actually encountered.

Dynamic Dallas Women

The third edition of Texas History Lens tells the stories of up to 20–30 influential women from the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth region. Visitors navigated this story-driven immersive experience through eras of Texas history. The women’s stories were told through video production that included archival imagery, narration, motion graphics, and sound design.

Rotating Seasonal Content

Each built on shared infrastructure and managed through a staff CMS

Dual Interactive Kiosks

Two installations placed on opposite sides of the Hall of Heroes allow visitors to engage with each on their way to other sections of the museum. Large 4K monitors allowed large groups to participate while a tablet touchscreen allowed individuals to guide the experience.

Photobooth

Visitors placed inside historical scenes via custom photo filters

UGC Video Archive

Visitor-recorded reflections growing into a living oral history collection for DHS

Custom Artifact Display Case

Mobile, height-accessible, and aesthetically integrated with the Hall of Heroes

Mini Games

Six distinct game mechanics tailored to Music, Film & TV, Fine Arts, Sports, Innovation, and Civics

Custom CMS

Full content control; DHS transitions between editions without outside development support

“By combining historical artifacts with immersive technology, we helped create a space where the stories of both past and present were center stage.”

— QuantumERA

Texas History Lens is designed for continuous storytelling. The Dallas Historical Society now has the means to extend their limited physical space to launch seasonal content and give ‘equal billing’ to different aspects of Texas History.