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 City Hall Park
- Description
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June 4, 1938. City Hall Park, Burlington, groundskeepers working near fountain. Hotel Vermont seen beyond the elm trees and to the right behind the fountain is Van Ness House. Automobiles and even a Burlington Rapid Transit bus can be seen.
- Title
- Burlington Streets: Main Street (Lower)
- Description
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Undated (may be 1920s) view of lower Main Street with the Van Ness House, on the right, a hotel that once occupied the southwest corner of Main and St. Paul Street. Up the street also on the right is seen the corner of the Hotel Vermont. Used Truck sign also on the right in foreground. Trolley ...
Show moreUndated (may be 1920s) view of lower Main Street with the Van Ness House, on the right, a hotel that once occupied the southwest corner of Main and St. Paul Street. Up the street also on the right is seen the corner of the Hotel Vermont. Used Truck sign also on the right in foreground. Trolley (cable) car tracks run the center of the street with cable wires seen overhead. Socony gas station sign on the left.
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- Description
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May 5, 1943. Rail Removal Project, Burlington, Vermont. This view shows Main St. between Church St. and St. Paul St. after the rails had been removed and the trenches filled with concrete. From left to right is marque for Flynn Theatre advertising My Friend Flicka film starring Roddy McDowell,...
Show moreMay 5, 1943. Rail Removal Project, Burlington, Vermont. This view shows Main St. between Church St. and St. Paul St. after the rails had been removed and the trenches filled with concrete. From left to right is marque for Flynn Theatre advertising My Friend Flicka film starring Roddy McDowell, Preston Foster, center photo is the Park Cafe, Hotel Vermont seen on the corner and Van Ness House background right.
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- Title
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- Description
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Oct. 29, 1940 dated photo. This view shows the intersection of St. Paul Street and Main Street looking south from a point opposite the Central Terminal. This new asphalt pavement was constructed by the Street Department from regular and special funds with the aid of a small appropriation...
Show moreOct. 29, 1940 dated photo. This view shows the intersection of St. Paul Street and Main Street looking south from a point opposite the Central Terminal. This new asphalt pavement was constructed by the Street Department from regular and special funds with the aid of a small appropriation available from the State Highway Department for "Back Roads". This project continues from this point south to the south side of the intersection of Spruce Street including all intersecting streets within these limits comprising a total of 11,100 square yards. On the left is the Hotel Vermont. Across the street is the building that once held the Van Ness House, a hotel.
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- Title
- Van Ness House Hotel, Burlington
- Description
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Van Ness House Hotel in Burlington, Vermont. Once location on the southwest corner of Main and St. Paul Street. In the foreground is seen a portion of City Hall Park.