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
- The Fashion Shop (Burlington, VT)
- Description
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Fashion Shop (Burlington, VT) window, 81-83 Church Street with publicity photo display of CBS WCAX personalities. Dated 1945.
- Title
- The Fashion Shop (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1945
- Description
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The Fashion Shop window display at 81-83 Church Street, Burlington, VT. Features cosmetics. Dated 1945
- Title
- Houses, Miscellaneous Identified
- Description
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Harold Mintzer, Groc[er].; 86 Pitkin St., Burlington. Photo no. 3 shows child looking out a window, a few trucks nearby.
- Title
- Houses, Miscellaneous Identified
- Description
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Harold Mintzer, Groc[er].; 86 Pitkin St., Burlington. "Orange Crush" sign says "Mintzer's Groceries." Child looking out window. Photo no. 2.
- Title
- Memorial Auditorium, Burlington - Exhibitions
- Description
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Marine exhibition at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont showing motor boats, life jackets and other boating equipment being sold by Chiott's Marine Distributors. Photo #3.
- Title
- Memorial Auditorium, Burlington - Exhibitions
- Description
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Marine exhibition at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont showing motor boat equipment and accessories being sold by Chiott's Marine Distributors. Photo #1.
- Title
- Memorial Auditorium, Burlington - Exhibitions
- Description
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Women's cosmetics (exhibition at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont?) showing a line of Daggett & Ramsdell beauty preparations. See also mcalA17F08i04 that looks to be the actual store window.
- Title
- Offices
- Description
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Undated photograph of a stockroom in an unidentified Burlington location. The poster on the wall is for RCA Radiotron vacuum tubes.
- Title
- Stores - B.F. Goodrich (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1947
- Description
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114 Cherry Street. 3/4 view of the B.F. Goodrich store front, very likely removed during the urban renewal of the late 60s. Store next door is the Tick Tock Shoppe, now on Bank St.
- Title
- Stores - B.F. Goodrich (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1947
- Description
-
114 Cherry Street: Direct view of B.F. Goodrich store, with an unidentifiable machine propping the door open. On the far right is a parking lot inside the uppermost block of Church Street. (A young boy peers through the store windows.) This section of Cherry St. has been rebuilt and consists of...
Show more114 Cherry Street: Direct view of B.F. Goodrich store, with an unidentifiable machine propping the door open. On the far right is a parking lot inside the uppermost block of Church Street. (A young boy peers through the store windows.) This section of Cherry St. has been rebuilt and consists of government offices, Borders books, and other retail stores.
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- Title
- Stores - Everyday Book Shop (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1944
- Description
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213 College Street. Photo shows copies of a current bestseller, The Outsider by Irene Jessup Cleaton (1890-1977), whose portrait is also there. Oddly, the book is no longer held by any major libraries in Vermont. On the wall to the right are posters promoting the sale of war bonds and also the...
Show more213 College Street. Photo shows copies of a current bestseller, The Outsider by Irene Jessup Cleaton (1890-1977), whose portrait is also there. Oddly, the book is no longer held by any major libraries in Vermont. On the wall to the right are posters promoting the sale of war bonds and also the virtue of unity.
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- Title
- Stores - F.W. Woolworth (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1945
- Description
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Church Street (37-39). Well-stocked window displays invite shoppers to this three-story F.W. Woolworth on the corner of Church and Cherry St., which would eventually become the largest Woolworth in New England. Looking somewhat like the woolen mills in Winooski, this older structure was replaced...
Show moreChurch Street (37-39). Well-stocked window displays invite shoppers to this three-story F.W. Woolworth on the corner of Church and Cherry St., which would eventually become the largest Woolworth in New England. Looking somewhat like the woolen mills in Winooski, this older structure was replaced by a modern one in 1964. Woolworth started closing its Vt. stores in the 1990s, the Church St. store closing in March, 1998.
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- Title
- Stores - F.W. Woolworth (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1949-1950
- Description
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37-39 Church Street. Crowded display of discount merchandise in this interior photo of F.W. Woolworth Co. on the corner of Church and Cherry St., Burlington, Vt.
- Title
- Stores - F.W. Woolworth (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1949-1950
- Description
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37-39 Church Street. Typical 5-and-dime merchandise in this interior photo of F.W. Woolworth Co. on the corner of Church and Cherry St., Burlington, Vt.
- Title
- Stores - F.W. Woolworth (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1949-1950
- Description
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37-39 Church Street. Typical 5-and-dime merchandise in this interior photo of F.W. Woolworth Co. on the corner of Church and Cherry St., Burlington, Vt.
- Title
- Stores - Federal Bake Shop (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1944
- Description
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11 Church Street (today, the address of Eddie Bauer retail clothing store). Store front of Federal Bake Shop.
- Title
- Stores - Federal Bake Shop (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1944
- Description
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11 Church Street. Store front of the Federal Bake Shop.
- Title
- Stores - First National Stores (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- undated
- Description
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Church Street : According to the city directory, First National had a store at 50 Church, Burlington, Vt.--or at least a meat dept. manager (Ulysse Campbell) at that address--until 1940/41. Storefront signs show prices for both meats and groceries.
- Title
- Stores - Hudson Hosiery Co. (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1952
- Description
-
Hudson Hosiery window display at 69 Church St. Actual hosiery can be seen in this photo, just above the mannequin head.
- Title
- Stores - Hudson Hosiery Co. (Burlington, VT)
- Date Created
- 1952
- Description
-
Some amorphous display of apparel and accessories for women, perhaps decorated for the Christmas shopping season. Hudson Hosiery was locates at 69 Church St.