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
- Title
- Burlington Streets: Colchester Ave
- Date Created
- 1929-09-01
- Description
-
Sept. 1, 1929. Approach to Burlington end of the Winooski Bridge looking south from Bridge abutment -- Colchester Ave. in foreground with Winooski Lower Road (Riverside Ave) leading off at the right and Barrett Street at the left -- Note the old trolley car tracks and overhead wires after...
Show moreSept. 1, 1929. Approach to Burlington end of the Winooski Bridge looking south from Bridge abutment -- Colchester Ave. in foreground with Winooski Lower Road (Riverside Ave) leading off at the right and Barrett Street at the left -- Note the old trolley car tracks and overhead wires after abandonment. This picture was taken just before construction work started on the new concrete pavement, sidewalk, curb and gutter. Ernest C. Potvin corner store seen to the left behind the parked cars. Photo published in Images of America Burlington, volume 2, p. 50.
Show less
- Title
- Burlington Streets: Colchester Ave
- Date Created
- 1939-10-21
- Description
-
View of the base of Colchester Ave at the Winooski Bridge near Barrett Street. Possibly 487 Colchester. Automobiles are parked along the store front of a corner grocery or convenience store (that may be owned by Ernest C. Potvin as listed in the 1929 Burlington City Directory) that advertises...
Show moreView of the base of Colchester Ave at the Winooski Bridge near Barrett Street. Possibly 487 Colchester. Automobiles are parked along the store front of a corner grocery or convenience store (that may be owned by Ernest C. Potvin as listed in the 1929 Burlington City Directory) that advertises cigars, cigarettes and Salada Tea in this Oct. 21, 1929 photo.
Show less