Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Collection Overview
Louis L. McAllister photographed people and places near Burlington, Vermont for 60 years. He was born in Columbus, Nebraska on October 16, 1876, the son of Julius S. McAllister (born 1841 in Lincoln, VT) and Rosette Gould (born in Vermont in 1851)...
Show moreLouis L. McAllister photographed people and places near Burlington, Vermont for 60 years. He was born in Columbus, Nebraska on October 16, 1876, the son of Julius S. McAllister (born 1841 in Lincoln, VT) and Rosette Gould (born in Vermont in 1851). Julius McAllister worked as a photographer and dentist in Washington D.C., Bristol, Vermont and Columbus, Nebraska. Around 1895, Julius, his third wife Amy, and their children left Nebraska for the Union Soldiers’ Colony in Fitzgerald, Georgia. By 1900, Julius and Amy were divorced, and Amy and her stepson Louis were working as photographers in Thomasville, Georgia.
In 1907 Louis McAllister married Cora Shepard (born about 1872 in Vermont) in Holland, Michigan. By 1910, they were living in Queen City Park in South Burlington, Vermont, where Louis established a photography studio. The McAllisters moved to Burlington, and by 1919 they lived at 47 N. Winooski Avenue. They continued to occupy a summer cottage at Queen City Park, and were active in the Queen City Park Association, which held spiritualist camp meetings annually. McAllister conducted his photography business from home until his death in 1963.
McAllister’s “trademark” was his panorama camera which made him familiar to all sorts of groups ranging from graduating classes to state police to summer camp groups. In addition he did print 8 x 10 photos, many of which document building construction and Burlington Street Department projects, as well as group and individual portraits.
The L.L. McAllister Collection includes portraits, construction projects, buildings, businesses and events in the Burlington area covering the period ca. 1920-1960. The collection also includes photos of street, bridge, airport and sewer construction and repair, as well as group portraits of clubs, schools, etc.
Revised April, 2010
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Related Archival Collection
Pages
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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September 10, 1928. Road crew and a huge machine work along a stretch of road. Dozens of cloth bags containing construction material are seen lined up. Billboards in the distance advertise Atwater Kent radios, Graham Paige and a fuel company for coal and oil.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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September 10, 1928. An end of a strip of road being constructed is seen as workmen apply a road surface. Billboards are in the distance along with a sign for "Tourists."
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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September 10, 1928. Workmen, bags of cement, trucks, machinery and road side billboards all are seen at this road construction site. On the photo's left side is seen strung lines to plumb the straight edge of the road side.
- Title
- WCAX Radio
- Description
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1945 billboard advertising WCAX radio 620 on the dial. Shown are names, radio personalities and some of the programs broadcast.
- Title
- Winooski, VT - Winooski River and Mills (Panormama: 7 Photos numbered left to right)
- Description
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Undated but may be 1920s (or earlier) view of Riverside Ave (Lower Winooski Road), Burlington. Billboard along side of road advertises White's Vermont Velvet Ice Cream made by White's Pure Milk Products located at 21 Church Street, Burlington, Vt. ; A. R. White proprietor. Photo 7 of seven part...
Show moreUndated but may be 1920s (or earlier) view of Riverside Ave (Lower Winooski Road), Burlington. Billboard along side of road advertises White's Vermont Velvet Ice Cream made by White's Pure Milk Products located at 21 Church Street, Burlington, Vt. ; A. R. White proprietor. Photo 7 of seven part panoramic view.
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