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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- Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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Column of tractor drawn artillery and other ordnance on road with utility poles.
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- Parks (4X5)
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November 14, 1938. A workman grates the earth with a tractor. Houses line the area. Other workmen seen in the distance.
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- Road Construction
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Undated photograph of a street grading project in preparation for paving an unidentified Burlington Street (possibly Blodgett Street).
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- Road Construction
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Undated photograph of a street grading project in preparation for paving Blodgett Street in Burlington's old North End.
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- Ticonderoga - Move to Shelburne Museum
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January 19, 1955. Some of the men and equipment on site needed to prepare the terrain for the transport of the steamship Ticonderoga to the Shelburne Museum. The engineering firm of Merritt-Chapman & Scott were contracted to undertake the move. They subcontracted with W. B. Hill Co. of Tilton,...
Show moreJanuary 19, 1955. Some of the men and equipment on site needed to prepare the terrain for the transport of the steamship Ticonderoga to the Shelburne Museum. The engineering firm of Merritt-Chapman & Scott were contracted to undertake the move. They subcontracted with W. B. Hill Co. of Tilton, New Hampshire to oversee the ship's overland trip. Photo 104.
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- Winooski Bridge
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June 3, 1943. This view shows a close-up of the "A" frame and special attachment for a "rolling pull". In removing the (trolley track) rails on this project without the aid of a cutting torch and with very little damage to the pavement.