• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

14 results for: Van Asselt, Henry

Share:
Image of Chest of drawers made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1872

Chest of drawers made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1872

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851 intending to make his living through agriculture. He later opened up a cabinet shop and his furniture was under demand by Seattle pioneers. Van Asselt made this chest of drawers out of fiddleback curly maple, a local wood that, when seasoned, becomes almost as hard as iron and at all…
ID Number:1945.1683.1
Date:Circa 1872
Image of Bedstead made by Henry Van Asselt, 1857

Bedstead made by Henry Van Asselt, 1857

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851, intending to make his living through agriculture. When his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, he left the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he polished his cabinet-making skills. He opened up a cabinet shop upon his return to Seattle, and his furniture…
ID Number:1964.3230.1
Date:1857
Image of Painting of Maple School, the first schoolhouse in King County, 1862-1895, by Beulah Maple Norman, ca. 1960

Painting of Maple School, the first schoolhouse in King County, 1862-1895, by Beulah Maple Norman, ca. 1960

The first schoolhouse in King County stood on the site of present Boeing Field, land that was once owned by the Maple family. The artist's grandfather, Jacob Maple, was already clearing land for settlement along the Duwamish River a few months before the Denny party landed at Alki Point. Beulah Maple Norman (1893-1992) took up amateur painting in order to…
ID Number:1965.3696
Date:Circa 1960
Image of Side chair made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860

Side chair made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860

Settlers to the Puget Sound region made whatever household goods they couldn’t bring with them. Henry Van Asselt, one of the earliest homesteaders, was a talented carpenter, and he made this slat-back side chair.
ID Number:1967.4096.1
Date:Circa 1860
Image of Hayfork made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1851

Hayfork made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1851

Settlers to the Puget Sound region made whatever household goods they couldn’t bring with them. Henry Van Asselt, one of the earliest homesteaders, was a talented carpenter. He made this hayfork, polished with use.
ID Number:1967.4096.2
Date:Circa 1851
Image of Side chair made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860s

Side chair made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860s

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851, intending to make his living through agriculture. When his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, he left the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he polished his cabinet-making skills. He opened up a cabinet shop upon his return to Seattle, and his furniture…
ID Number:1988.33.1
Date:Circa 1860
Image of Slat back side chair made by Henry Van Asselt for the Maple family, 1870s

Slat back side chair made by Henry Van Asselt for the Maple family, 1870s

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851, intending to make his living through agriculture. When his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, he left the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he polished his cabinet-making skills. He opened up a cabinet shop upon his return to Seattle, and his furniture…
ID Number:1988.34.1
Date:Circa 1870
Image of Maple desk top made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860

Maple desk top made by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1860

European American settlers in the Puget Sound region made whatever household goods they couldn’t bring with them. Henry Van Asselt, one of the earliest homesteaders, was a talented carpenter. He made this desktop for early settler Thomas Mercer.
ID Number:1993.76.1
Date:Circa 1860
Image of Table made by Henry Van Asselt for Thomas Mercer, ca. 1860s

Table made by Henry Van Asselt for Thomas Mercer, ca. 1860s

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851, intending to make his living through agriculture. When his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, he left the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he polished his cabinet-making skills. He opened up a cabinet shop upon his return to Seattle, and his furniture…
ID Number:1993.76.2
Date:Circa 1860
Image of Shotgun owned by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1870-1880

Shotgun owned by Henry Van Asselt, ca. 1870-1880

Henry Van Asselt was an early white settler to this area in 1851. Although Henry Van Asselt originally intended to make his living in King County through agriculture, his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, prompting him to leave the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon. While in Oregon, he polished his cabinet-making skills.…
ID Number:2017.27.2
Date:1870-1880
1 2 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved