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
- Title
- Burlington Street Department Buildings - Equipment
- Description
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Photograph dated Mar. 22, 1944. Original caption reads: "Burlington Street Department, Burlington, Vermont This view shows one of our sidewalk plowing and sanding units consisting of a rubber tired Allis-Chalmers IB Tractor with Baker V-Type 5 ft. width plow and a trailer sand spreader designed...
Show morePhotograph dated Mar. 22, 1944. Original caption reads: "Burlington Street Department, Burlington, Vermont This view shows one of our sidewalk plowing and sanding units consisting of a rubber tired Allis-Chalmers IB Tractor with Baker V-Type 5 ft. width plow and a trailer sand spreader designed and built in the street Department repair shop. Note the extra metal weights placed on the rear wheel hubs to give added traction. The V-type plow has been found from experience to be more satisfactory than the reversible blade plows, especially after heavy drifting storms. The sand spreader holds approximately 1/2 cubic yard of sand. It has sloping false bottom lined with sheet metal which assists the flow of sand to the rotor which is placed just to the rear of the main axle. The surface of this rotor is covered with beads of steel which operates against a steel fibre brush to deliver a carpet of sand 30 inches in width over the surface of the icy sidewalks. The power for revolving the rotor is obtained from the small wheelbarrow rubber tired wheel which make a contact on the surface of one of the trailer wheels and is transmitted to the rotor by V-belt. The pressure of this third wheel against the surface of the trailer wheel can be increased or diminished or thrown out of contact entirely by changing the position of a small lever mounted on the side of the trailer which is easily accessible to the driver."
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- Title
- Burlington Street Department Buildings - Equipment
- Description
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Photograph dated Jan. 7, 1941. Original caption reads: "Allis-Chalmers tractors and Baker "V" type snowplow units used for plowing sidewalks. These four snowplow units replaced the thirteen horse-drawn units that had always been used previously. No. 1 and No. 2 Tractors were purchased in November...
Show morePhotograph dated Jan. 7, 1941. Original caption reads: "Allis-Chalmers tractors and Baker "V" type snowplow units used for plowing sidewalks. These four snowplow units replaced the thirteen horse-drawn units that had always been used previously. No. 1 and No. 2 Tractors were purchased in November, 1939 and No. 3 and No. 4 Tractors were purchased in November, 1940. These units do the entire sidewalk plowing consisting of approximately 130 miles of sidewalks in the city of Burlington at very much less cost and much more efficiently than the old horse-drawn units. The trailer sleds shown in the picture were used for sanding sidewalks during the winter 1940-41."
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- Title
- Burlington Streets: Prospect Street
- Description
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June 13, 1935. South Prospect Street sewer job. V.E.R.A. (Vermont Emergency Relief Administration )Project No. 402-B-7-10 During work of replacement of pavement surface. Mixed in place method. Two street dept. vehicles with two men in them on the curve of the road.
- Title
- Burlington Streets: Staniford Road
- Description
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October 1, 1942. Photo No. 7. This view of Staniford Road shows the method of distributing the dry cement evenly over the entire surface after the bags have been broken open and dumped in piles as shown in No. 4. The header placed at the end of the first day's work can be seen in the foreground....
Show moreOctober 1, 1942. Photo No. 7. This view of Staniford Road shows the method of distributing the dry cement evenly over the entire surface after the bags have been broken open and dumped in piles as shown in No. 4. The header placed at the end of the first day's work can be seen in the foreground. The tractor power used for hauling the spike-tooth harrows is an Allis-Chalmers IB Tractor normally used for the plowing of snow on the sidewalks during the winter months. The preparation of the base for the following day's work can be seen in progress in the background of the picture. Work done by the Burlington Street Dept.
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- Title
- Burlington Streets: Staniford Road
- Description
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October 2, 1942. Photo No. 20. This view of Staniford Road shows the method of mixing the Soil-Cement materials in place. The 22 inch Double Disc Harrow is being hauled by the heavy Allis-Chalmers Tractor while the Killifer Spring-Tooth Harrow is being hauled by the smaller Allis-Chalmers Tractor...
Show moreOctober 2, 1942. Photo No. 20. This view of Staniford Road shows the method of mixing the Soil-Cement materials in place. The 22 inch Double Disc Harrow is being hauled by the heavy Allis-Chalmers Tractor while the Killifer Spring-Tooth Harrow is being hauled by the smaller Allis-Chalmers Tractor. The combination of these two harrows does a very satisfactory job in getting the aggregate thoroughly mixed. Work done by the Burlington Street Dept.
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- Title
- Burlington Streets: Staniford Road
- Description
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October 1, 1942. Photo No. 8. This view of Staniford Road shows the process of dry mixing the cement with the soil to a depth of six inches (6") with the aid of the Killifer Cultivator hauled by a small Allis-Chalmers Caterpillar Tractor. This view is taken from the position as No. 5. Work done...
Show moreOctober 1, 1942. Photo No. 8. This view of Staniford Road shows the process of dry mixing the cement with the soil to a depth of six inches (6") with the aid of the Killifer Cultivator hauled by a small Allis-Chalmers Caterpillar Tractor. This view is taken from the position as No. 5. Work done by the Burlington Street Dept.
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- Title
- Business Enterprises - A-B
- Description
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Burlington Farm Supply Co. photo showing a variety of equipment by Case (maker of machines) along with employees, automobiles.
- Title
- Farms - Haying
- Description
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1951 photo of a hay field with two farmhands driving a tractor. A hay wagon is seen behind with the hay coming out of a shoot and going into the wagon.
- Title
- Farms - Haying
- Description
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1951 photo of farm workers haying. They drive a tractor with a hay wagon behind.
- Title
- Farms - Haying
- Description
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1951 photo of a hay field with farm workers driving a tracker and cut hay being sent through a shoot and into a hay wagon.