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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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Undated photograph looking north toward the old Heineberg Bridge.
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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Photograph dated 2-16-35. Original caption reads: Heineberg Bridge looking north from the point a few feet southerly of the Burlington approach.
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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Photograph dated 2-16-35. Original caption reads: Heineberg Bridge from a point upstream. Note the sag in the chords and the damage to the projection over the right abatement done by recent high water.
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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Photograph dated Mar. 3, 1937, showing the result of a demolition blast on the mid river piling for the old Heineberg Bridge.
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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Photograph dated Feb. 9, 1937, taken of the detonations of charges during the demolition of the old Heineberg Bridge.
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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Undated photograph looking north toward the old Heineberg Bridge, taken in winter.
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- Heineberg Bridge (old)
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Photograph dated 2-16-35. Original caption reads: Heineberg Bridge from a point on the downstream side of the bridge. Note the sag in the lower chords.
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- Sewer Projects
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April 5, 1932. A major sewer project is underway as seen here with flat metal posts and timbers forming the walls of a large trench. View of the Lake Champlain water front with the break water in the background.
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- Sewer Projects
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March 9, 1932. Man, machine and animal work together on a sewer project in Burlington. A large crane pours steam into the air as it rests on an outcropping in Lake Champlain down at the water front. A horse is seen in the background with a crew member. The building of Burlington Grocery Company...
Show moreMarch 9, 1932. Man, machine and animal work together on a sewer project in Burlington. A large crane pours steam into the air as it rests on an outcropping in Lake Champlain down at the water front. A horse is seen in the background with a crew member. The building of Burlington Grocery Company on lower Maple Street and the St. Paul Street seen in distant background.
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- Title
- Sewer Projects
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Winooski Bridge Construction ; sewer project ; view of rebar supports
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- Sewer Projects
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Winooski Bridge Construction ; sewer project
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- Sewer Projects
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February 19, 1932. Members of a crew dig with pick axes at a sewer project site near the Burlington Lake Champlain water front.
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- Sewer Projects
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June 1929. Break in ravine sewer caused by exceptional rain storm. Note the the new metal pipes piled up in back with other supplies and equipment. See also mcalA16F13i17
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- Sewer Projects
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March 9, 1932. A large crane is positioned in the center of the photo at a major sewer project site. The Burlington break water can be seen in the background.
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- UVM Groups
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A large group of men and women (including nuns and one clergyman) assemble on the steps of Billings Library on the University of Vermont campus. This could be a class reunion or perhaps a teachers' conference held at UVM.
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- UVM Ira Allen Chapel
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Ira Allen Chapel as seen from the UVM green after a heavy snowstorm. Photo embossed lower right corner "McAllister, Burlington, Vt.".
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- Veterans of Foreign Wars
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1957 photo of a veterans ceremony in Battery Park, Burlington, Vt. Occasion may be Veterans Day and/or the dedication of a small monument to the memory of Howard William Plant, first Burlington serviceman to die in World War I. A soldier in uniform looks pensively at the memorial as others look...
Show more1957 photo of a veterans ceremony in Battery Park, Burlington, Vt. Occasion may be Veterans Day and/or the dedication of a small monument to the memory of Howard William Plant, first Burlington serviceman to die in World War I. A soldier in uniform looks pensively at the memorial as others look on, notably several women veterans holding American flags.
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- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
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1952 photo of (very likely) an Armistice Day parade, on the way to the VFW memorial at Battery Park (see mcalB21F14i11). Leading the parade are Burlington Mayor J. Edward Moran (left), two other men in uniform, and a color guard carrying the American flag and the VFW Howard Plant Post No. 782...
Show more1952 photo of (very likely) an Armistice Day parade, on the way to the VFW memorial at Battery Park (see mcalB21F14i11). Leading the parade are Burlington Mayor J. Edward Moran (left), two other men in uniform, and a color guard carrying the American flag and the VFW Howard Plant Post No. 782 flag. 782 is named after Burlington's first casualty in World War I, Howard W. Plant.
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- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
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1957 photo of a Veterans Day ceremony at Battery Park. A man in uniform places a wreath at the VFW memorial site dedicated to Howard W. Plant, as a small crowd of women veterans (wearing garrison caps) and children look on. Weather on this day was chilly, with 15-25 mph winds, according to the...
Show more1957 photo of a Veterans Day ceremony at Battery Park. A man in uniform places a wreath at the VFW memorial site dedicated to Howard W. Plant, as a small crowd of women veterans (wearing garrison caps) and children look on. Weather on this day was chilly, with 15-25 mph winds, according to the Burlington Free Press. The other possible occasion may be the 40th anniversary of Plant's death (6 Dec., 1917).
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- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
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1952 photo of an Armistice Day (after 1954: Veterans Day) commemoration at the VFW memorial in Battery Park. A sailor stands in front of the memorial dedicated to the memory of seaman Howard W. Plant, "the first Burlington boy" to die in World War I, specifically on the US destroyer "Jacob Jones,...
Show more1952 photo of an Armistice Day (after 1954: Veterans Day) commemoration at the VFW memorial in Battery Park. A sailor stands in front of the memorial dedicated to the memory of seaman Howard W. Plant, "the first Burlington boy" to die in World War I, specifically on the US destroyer "Jacob Jones," 6 Dec., 1917. Burlington Mayor J. Edward Moran (2nd from far left) and other veterans and citizens look on in silence.
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