Bruce VanHorn Glass Negative Digital Image Collection
The glass negatives were loaned to ACHS by Roger Young to copy and keep as part of the Museum photo collection. Young’s grandfather was Bruce VanHorn, who grew up at Point Lookout. Around 1905, Bruce VanHorn needed money to help him through college, so he decided to purchase a camera and take pictures at the Point and surrounding areas. Few of the images have been identified. Some were poorly developed but we include them because this is all we know of what remains of VanHorn’s photo career. (Wikipedia has a detailed article about glass plate processing.)
Most of these images are only minimally identified. If you recognize any of the people, places, events or dates, please contact us. Your information and stories will help improve our archives for future generations.
Click on the photo to start a gallery. Navigate forward and backward manually. Photo captions/descriptions accompany the photos, and also are in PDF format accessed by the links below the galleries.
Achsgn-004
Store front with Oliver Plows and New Era Paint sign. Hitching post. 2 women, 4 boys on boardwalk. Man and horse at left of building.
Achsgn-020
View of houses along shoreline. Canoe, rowboat pulled ashore. 1 person standing in a yard.
Achsgn-024
Man and child posing on porch of 2-story house with bay window. Overgrown yard. Another structure appears at back.
Achsgn-038
Dutch colonial styled house with wrap-around porch. Plank benches in yard.
Achsgn-039
Woman, man, 2 children sitting in rocking chairs on porch with 3 more rockers. House at least 2 gables, gambrel roof.
Achsgn-051
4 men outside of factory looming behind them. Man further away holding horse team attached to cart. Photo damaged.
Achsgn-070
3 women, 7 men, 2 young boys, dog standing or sitting in front of hotel (name indistinct). Boy with walking stick. Possibly hitching post.
Achsgn-079
2 women, 4 men, child sitting on chairs on porch of house with exposed rake roof that overhangs wrap-around porch. Wood plank steps to porch.
Achsgn-082
Man, woman, young boy and girl and another child posing in front of log cabin. Photo damaged.
Buildings (10)
Captions/Descriptions
Achsgn-016
Bill Goth's threshing machine in the Delano area. Bill Goth (on the machine), Bill Roberts next on the right and Danny at the far right. Third man unidentified.
Achsgn-025
2 men roofing barn. Shingle bundles placed at intervals on roof. Outbuilding in background.
Achsgn-029
Horse team hitched to threshing machine power supply in Delano area. Clint Drake on machine, Art Doan at right. House, outbuilding, field.
Achsgn-035
T-shaped barn with gothic roof. Boards on ground beside it.
Achsgn-046
Man holding hay fork and child holding reins on top of loaded hay wagon with horse team in harness. Man with hay fork at side of wagon, horse beside team.
Achsgn-055
Man standing in front of house beside 2 horses. Horses wearing harness. Fence, field in background.
Achsgn-084
Winter barn framing scene. 5 men in rafters, 1 man on loft floor, 4 men standing beside barn, 1 man tending horse.
Farming (8)
Captions/Descriptions
Achsgn-017
Winter scene. 2 young men holding axe (at least one a double-headed axe) in front of fencing. Either they are twins or this is a split photo combo. Poor quality photo.
Achsgn-023
Large group of lumbermen (1 half-shown, 1 with double-headed ax) in front of possibly a bunk house.
Achsgn-027
Winter scene. 6 lumbermen (2 with pikes). 2 are with each with a horse team harnessed to skidder load of logs.
Achsgn-033
Winter scene. 2 men holding a horse each by halter in front of skidder. (1 man appears to be wearing same jacket as Aschsgn-017)
Achsgn-045
Winter scene. 3 men (2 with aprons) standing in front of possibly camp cook house.
Achsgn-054
7 men sitting, standing in front of lumber camp buiilding. 2 men sitting bareback on horses.
Winter Loggers
Winter lumbering scene. 4 men with pike poles using on or near log stack. Man beside horse in harness.
Logging (8)
Captions/Descriptions
Achsgn-003
Young girl with dog in front of house with horizontal plank siding. Child peering out window at left.
Achsgn-005
2 girls sitting on single-plank dock, over water. Big hair bows. Photo overexposed.
Achsgn-006
Photo captioned “Edna Davis Brown” (girl) posing outside beside dog sitting on chair. Tall fence along back.
Achsgn-009
3 men, 2 women, child posing outside. Partial double exposure of man on left. Women's faces obscured.
Achsgn-010
Young man in suit posing in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-011
Young woman on porch, arm resting on wicker chair.
Achsgn-026
2 young women posing in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-028
Woman with wide brimmed upturned hat driving horse harnessed to buckboard. Dog alongside.
Achsgn-031
Young girl pulling another young girl in child's wagon. Dog beside standing girl. House and barns in background.
Achsgn-032
5 men, 3 women, 3 babies, dog sitting or standing on stoop or on threshold. House wood shingled.
Achsgn-034
Baby in baby carriage on house porch. Rocking chair at the side.
Achsgn-036
2 men with lap rung seated in buggy hitched to horse. House at side of photo. Building and fields in back and at side.
Achsgn-037
Man in suit posing in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-040
3 men, 3 women, child, baby posing in room of house.
Achsgn-041
Little girl (looking surprised) holding doll in room with bench, sewing machine, cabinet, clock.
Achsgn-042
Woman standing in yard with dog (pointer?). Tree, fence. Same yard as Achsgn006.
Achsgn-047
Man and woman sitting on log cabin porch with 3 girls and 2 boys standing. Dog sitting on chair. Cabin has window.
Achsgn-048
Boy holding perhaps long-johns beside vanity with wash bowl and open trunk.
Achsgn-049
4 men, 2 women, boy posing on porch and in front of doorway.
Achsgn-052b
Winter scene. 4 young girls. Photo captioned “The Whitman Sisters Zella Irma Vera Meda”
Achsgn-053
Young woman posing in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-056
Infant sitting in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-057
Man in suit and hat posed in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-059
Young man in hip-boots and over-alls posing in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-060
Man in distance with arms up in air (as if hailing, possibly wearing a sunhat) in wooded area with very tall grass or weeds. Photo overexposed.
Achsgn-061e
Picnic beneath trees. Photo labeled Picnic beneath trees. Photo captioned “This is a picture of the neighborhood picnic taken out on Saginaw Bay in 1906. The only people I can identity to the left of the tree are Mr. and Mrs. Van Horn. Standing between the trees is Mate W. Davis. In front of her is Edna Davis, Helen Olmstead (The Minister's daughter) and Genevieve Courtright. In back of her is Zella Griffith and Bess Davis and in front of her is my father, William Davis. In back of him is Dill Griffith and John David.”
Achsgn-063
2 babies in chair in perhaps parlor.
Achsgn-064c
Photo captioned “Charlie Griffith at Point Lookout.” Man sitting in buckboard holding reins to horse harnessed to wagon in apparantly sandy area.
Achsgn-065
Photo captioned “Boney the Mailman. Thomas Draggart.” Man and horse team harnessed to small mail coach at side of road near mailbox.
Achsgn-067
Photo captioned “Genevieve Griffith”. Young woman posing outside by tree,, standing on plank platform with dog in chair. Fence and log cabin in background.
Achsgn-068
Little girl posing beside tree, hand on trunk. Fence, woods in background. Plank board against tree.
Achsgn-071
2 young girls poising in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-072
Man in suit and derby bowler hat posed in front of backdrop.
Achsgn-073
Man with derby bowler hat in chair in front of backdrop. Man with neck scarf standing beside, arm draped over back of chair.
Achsgn-074
3 women wearing hats and heavy coats posing near wooden building.
Achsgn-076
Man with lap rug seated in buggy hitched to horse.
Achsgn-077
Man in suit sitting posed in front of backdrop
Achsgn-078
Man, woman, child seated in buggy hitched to two horses.
Achsgn-080
Woman and man seated in buggy hitched to horse near house. Fence and field in background.
Achsgn-081b
Woman seated in buckboard hitched to horse. Woman standing at side with child. Partial image of woman right side of photo. Photo captioned “Rhoda Webster and her cart of veggies, eggs and meat to deliver to the Point three times a week. Standing: Ellen Doan.”
People (41)
Captions/Descriptions
Achsgn-018
2 docked passenger ships. One ship off to side of docked ship. Dock full of apparent passengers coming and going along dock.
Achsgn-030
2 docked passenger ships. One ship off to side of docked ship. Groups of apparent passengers coming and going along dock.
Achsgn-058
2-masted schooner “Pierce Simpson.” (Note: News clippings from this time period refer to the ship as a merchant vessel.)
Achsgn-075
2 men standing on deck of sailing ship that is apparently in dry-dock.
Ships (5)
Captions/Descriptions