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
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Picture of a Boston Terrier standing on a table outdoors.
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Portrait (no.2) of a Boston Terrier sitting outdoors. May be the same dog seen in mcalA11F16i37 sitting in a car with a woman.
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Photograph of a collie laying outdoors
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Two golden retrievers in front of fireplace, on rug with dog toy.
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- 1959
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Photograph of cows and milking machines in a barn. Circa 1959.
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Side view of Boston Terrier sitting outdoors (with attention to harness). May be the same dog as seen in mcalA11F16i37 sitting in a car with a woman.
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Photograph of a Boston Terrier with no collar or harness sitting in a car seat. May be the same dog as seen in mcalA11F16i37 sitting in a car with a woman.
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Photograph of a milk cow
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Portrait of a Boston Terrier sitting outdoors. May be the same dog as seen in mcalA11F16i37 sitting in a car with a woman.
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- Animals (Domestic)
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Photo of a young kitten and an illustration from a book of a bear.
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Sporting dog (cocker spaniel?) laying down in a grassy area. 1948 - 1949.
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Photo of a collie dog standing on a snow bank. May be family pet of the McAllisters and may have been taken at his home at 47 No. Winooski Ave., Burlington, Vermont. Date may be 1957 - 1958.
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- Burlington Asphalt Plant
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Undated photo but may be 1930s. Burlington Asphalt Plant railroad tracks, utility pole, workers with a horse
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- Burlington Asphalt Plant
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Burlington Asphalt Plant employees, trucks, horse
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- Burlington Street Department Buildings - Equipment
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Photograph dated Mar. 8, 1950. Original caption reads: "This view shows the horse-drawn sidewalk snow plow unit which has been used by the Street Department for a great number of years. The familiar scene of the horse-drawn unit with the rope tugs and reins and the bell attached to the hames,...
Show morePhotograph dated Mar. 8, 1950. Original caption reads: "This view shows the horse-drawn sidewalk snow plow unit which has been used by the Street Department for a great number of years. The familiar scene of the horse-drawn unit with the rope tugs and reins and the bell attached to the hames, with the old wooden "V" shape plow oscillating from one side to the other as it is being pulled along the sidewalk and with the hand brake operated by the driver as it proceeds down the hill streets to prevent the plow from going faster than the horse, is fast being displaced by more modern and efficient equipment and will soon be only a remembrance. This unit has served its usefulness and has served well during the days of the "Horse and Buggy" but like many other pieces of equipment it must give way to the demand for more efficient service. "Danny" Bombard, the driver in this picture, has given faithful service to the Street Department for nearly a quarter of a century and has traveled a great many hundreds of miles behind old "Mike" and the wooden plow or a similar unit during many years of service.
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- Title
- Burlington Streets: Riverside Ave.(4X5)
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Undated view of Burlington Street Dept crew paving Riverside Ave. The crew form a line across the road as they spread surface material. A team of white horses stand to the left. The Riverside Service Station is to the right. Billboards line the hillside behind. In the distance is the Fairview...
Show moreUndated view of Burlington Street Dept crew paving Riverside Ave. The crew form a line across the road as they spread surface material. A team of white horses stand to the left. The Riverside Service Station is to the right. Billboards line the hillside behind. In the distance is the Fairview Garage.
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- Title
- Camp Abnaki - Snakes
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A group of young campers learn about a snake being held by a camp counselor outside one of the cabins.
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- Camp Abnaki - Snakes
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1951. Photo of a snake curled up on the ground at Camp Abnaki.
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- Camp Abnaki - Snakes
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1951 photo of a camp counselor holding up a snake for display with a group of young campers. Photo #29.
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- Camp Abnaki - Snakes
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1951 of two snakes on the ground at Camp Abnaki.