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
Show less
Related Archival Collection
Pages
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of the interior of a large warehouse and shop at Vt. Structural Steel.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of a cone-shaped structure designed at Vt. Structural Steel. Purpose of the object is unknown.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of steel disc-cutting machine. Vt. Structural Steel specialized in engineering and designing steel products for industry and other enterprises.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of an employee at Vt. Structural Steel working on a cone-shaped structure for a building or machine.
- Title
- Well Drillers
- Description
-
1935 / 1936 photo of well drillers and well drilling machine.
- Title
- Well Drillers
- Description
-
1935 / 1936 photo of well drillers and well drilling machine.
- Title
- Well Drillers
- Description
-
1935 / 1936 photo of well drillers and well drilling machine.
- Title
- Winooski Bridge Repair
- Description
-
June 3, 1943. Winooski Bridge under repair. Machinery and crew on site. View toward Burlington and Colchester Ave.