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
- Houses, Miscellaneous Identified
- Description
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1950s photo of house at Grant Street and North Winooski Ave, Burlington, Vt.
- Title
- McAllister Portraits
- Description
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June 1961. A color photo of Louis McAllister later in life standing near a car (with a dog seen in the passenger side front window) at a street curb. A city bus is in the background on its route. Elm trees are seen lining the streets. An "American" sign rises in the back.
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- Oakledge, Burlington, VT
- Description
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1945/1946 photo of Flynn Ave and Shelburne Road, looking northwest. Damaged sign advertising "Oakledge Manor on Lake Champlain".
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- Oakledge, Burlington, VT
- Description
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1945/1946 photo of Flynn Ave and Shelburne Road, looking northeast. Damaged sign advertising "Oakledge Manor on Lake Champlain". The Elizabeth Lund Home, 346 Shelburne Rd., can be seen through the trees. (Can anyone identify this type of automobile?)
- Title
- Parades
- Description
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Float in a summer parade (July 4th?) by the Gelineaus Pastry Shop located on 184 North Street, manufacturers of sweet food. Seven men ride dressed in white chef's hats, white shirts and ties. A cake rides on the front of the float. Undated but may be 1920s.
- Title
- Photographs
- Description
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Photograph of an undated photograph that has been mounted in a paper frame. Two women sit in a horse drawn carriage on a wooded dirt road.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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Undated photograph of a group of workers posing at a construction site on an unknown Burlington Street
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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View of a road under reconstruction. The dirt surface has loose rocks. A manhole is seen in the middle of the road foreground. Men, machines and automobiles in the distance.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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A road crew at work on an unidentified Burlington street.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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September 10, 1928. Crew members work with a tank truck pouring and smoothing road surface on a strip of road.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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July 12, 1933. View of a residential street in Burlington.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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Undated photograph of a group of workers posing with the equipment at a construction site on an unknown Burlington Street.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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Preparing a road surface in a paving project on an unidentified Burlington Street.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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October 9, 1935. A steam roller smooths out a road surface on one side while traffic moves along on the other side.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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March 6, 1934. City Burlington, Vermont. CWA (Civil Works Administration) Project #402-J. Telford stone base construction and crushed stone surface. Note winter conditions. Wished someone had noted the location.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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Undated photo of road work crew laying surface material.
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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A road crew and their heavy equipment at work on an unidentified Burlington street.
- 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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Undated photograph of a street grading project in preparation for paving an unidentified Burlington Street (possibly Blodgett Street).
- Title
- Road Construction
- Description
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Preparing a road surface in a paving project on an unidentified Burlington Street.