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
Show less
Related Archival Collection
Pages
- Title
- UVM Groups
- Description
-
Group portrait outside on the steps of John Dewey Hall (UVM College of Medicine). All men except for one woman.
- Title
- UVM Groups
- Description
-
A large group of men and women (including nuns and one clergyman) assemble on the steps of Billings Library on the University of Vermont campus. This could be a class reunion or perhaps a teachers' conference held at UVM.
- Title
- UVM Groups
- Description
-
Large assembly, perhaps a commencement gathering, in the campus gymnasium, which is now the Royall Tyler Theatre (identified by the large arched windows facing south). Event and date of photo unknown, but ladies hat styles have a decidedly late 1920s-early 1930s look.
- Title
- UVM Groups
- Description
-
UVM students, very likely fraternity members, assembled before Sigma Nu fraternity house, 57 So. Williams St. Occasion might be an end-of-semester formal or the Winter Carnival ball.
- Title
- UVM Groups
- Description
-
Large group of men and women in front of 481 Main St., the office then of the Vermont Agricultural Extension Service (now Classics and Religion). A cold day with snow on the ground and everyone in overcoats. Most women have fur collars; most men are wearing fedoras. Occasion, status of group, and...
Show moreLarge group of men and women in front of 481 Main St., the office then of the Vermont Agricultural Extension Service (now Classics and Religion). A cold day with snow on the ground and everyone in overcoats. Most women have fur collars; most men are wearing fedoras. Occasion, status of group, and photo date are unknown.
Show less
- Title
- Vermont National Guard Hangar - Construction (Burlington Morrissey)
- Description
-
October 1947. Construction of the Vermont National Guard Hangar in Burlington showing the three men of the company on site with contractors sign in background. Work by Wright & Morrissey Contractors of Burlington.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of the administrative office at Vt. Structural Steel. Three employees are present but difficult to see because of the under exposure and blurred areas.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of a shop at Vt. Structural Steel, with two employees moving a sheet of steel through a machine.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of employee at Vt. Structural Steel working on a cone-shaped architectural piece.
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Buildings' Interiors
- Description
-
Ca. 1951 photo of a large warehouse at Vt. Structural Steel, with several employees preparing to ship some I-beams, some of which are massive (left).
- Title
- Vermont Structural Steel Co. - Construction Sites
- Description
-
Same site as in mcalB21F08i02 but from a different angle. Steel frame is surrounded by a few dozen wooden beams as well. Several employees are seen here, as well as an old car. Location unknown.
- Title
- Vermont Transit Co.
- Description
-
Two bus operators (dressed in two different styles of uniform) stand at a check in board where drivers can hang metal "blades" with their names beneath the corresponding number of the bus they are operating. At the head of the board is Transportation Investigating Service Incorporated Bridgeport,...
Show moreTwo bus operators (dressed in two different styles of uniform) stand at a check in board where drivers can hang metal "blades" with their names beneath the corresponding number of the bus they are operating. At the head of the board is Transportation Investigating Service Incorporated Bridgeport, Conn. Names top to bottom (left to right): Henry Drake, Walter Wood, Arthur Bora, John Wissell, Ray Bora (holding), Alfred Russell.
Show less
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
A man, member of D.A.V. (Disabled American Veterans) shakes the hand of a woman in recognition. She wears an evening gown and corsage. See also mcalB08F03i01
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
Yet another view of Veterans Day (1957) at Battery Park, Burlington, Vt. (see also mcalB21F12i02). Veterans, a color guard plus others in uniform, and children from the neighborhood are present. This photo shows another veteran addressing the crowd.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
Group portrait of military veterans at a celebratory gathering.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
The men gather for a group portrait. The military veterans wear caps of their organization.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
Undated photo of a gathering of veterans and their spouses. Flag displays the name of the local VFW post. Howard W. Plant was the first Burlington casualty of World War I. A memorial in Battery Park is dedicated to his memory, and the Burlington VFW Post no. 782 bears his name.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
The men gather for a group portrait. Banner in the background reads "Ladies Auxiliary Howard Plant, Post No. 782, Burlington, Vermont, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States" Instituted June 1924. Photo #1.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
1957 photo of a Veterans Day ceremony at Battery Park. A man in uniform places a wreath at the VFW memorial site dedicated to Howard W. Plant, as a small crowd of women veterans (wearing garrison caps) and children look on. Weather on this day was chilly, with 15-25 mph winds, according to the...
Show more1957 photo of a Veterans Day ceremony at Battery Park. A man in uniform places a wreath at the VFW memorial site dedicated to Howard W. Plant, as a small crowd of women veterans (wearing garrison caps) and children look on. Weather on this day was chilly, with 15-25 mph winds, according to the Burlington Free Press. The other possible occasion may be the 40th anniversary of Plant's death (6 Dec., 1917).
Show less
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Description
-
1952 photo of some veterans at Memorial Auditorium, perhaps the people in charge of the bazaar; and, of course, Santa Claus.