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
- Vermont National Guard Hangar - Construction (Burlington Morrissey)
- Description
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October 1947. Construction of the Vermont National Guard Hangar in Burlington showing the steel arches. Work by Wright & Morrissey Contractors of Burlington. Photo #2.
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- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings
- Description
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1947 photo of the physical plant at Vermont Structural Steel, with track conveyors and pulleys for moving girders and other steel products. The sign for another business, Canada Dry Bottling Co., can be seen in the distance (although no such business is listed in the Burlington City directory of...
Show more1947 photo of the physical plant at Vermont Structural Steel, with track conveyors and pulleys for moving girders and other steel products. The sign for another business, Canada Dry Bottling Co., can be seen in the distance (although no such business is listed in the Burlington City directory of 1946 or '48).
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- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
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Ca. 1951 photo of perhaps a loading dock at Vt. Structural Steel, or another venue with a railroad track protected by a steel-framed structure.
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- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
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Ca. 1935 photo of a steel framed structure, either at Vt. Structural Steel or another location benefiting from their products and expertise.
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- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Construction Sites
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1951 photo of a construction site, where the steel frame of the building is complete or near completion. Site is unknown but probably downtown Burlington. Several (now vintage) automobiles parked nearby.
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- Webb Estate - Trophy Room (Shelburne, VT)
- Description
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1951 /1951. Wild animal heads are mounted on the walls and fur rugs adorn the wood paneled floor of this trophy room of the Webb estate. Two stuffed bears are seen on either side of the of the room. See also mcalA19F03i03
- Title
- Winooski Bridge (Washout) (4X5's)
- Description
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View of a heavily damaged building (Johnson Grain Co. mill?) to the left done during the 1927 flood. View extends into the distance with buildings along Colchester Ave seen to the right. Also running off to the right is Lower Winooski Road or later known as Riverside Ave.
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- Winooski High School - Misc.
- Description
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Undated photo of Winooski High School (built 1912) with four students standing in the entrance. The building stood at the corner of East Spring and Leclair Streets and served as high school until 1960. The current high school on Normand St. was built in 1959.
- Title
- Winooski High School - Misc.
- Description
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Undated photo of Winooski High School (built 1912) with four students standing in the entrance. The building stood at the corner of East Spring and Leclair Streets and served as high school until 1960. The current high school on Normand St. was built in 1959.