Louis L. McAllister Photographs
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). 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
Showing 11 - 20 of 26 Records
Burlington Street Department Buildings - Equipment
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- Date Created: 1944-03-22
- Description: Photograph dated Mar. 22, 1944. Original caption reads: "Burlington Street Department, Burlington, Vermont This view shows one of our sidewalk plowing and sanding units consisting of a rubber tired Allis-Chalmers IB Tractor with Baker V-Type 5 ft. width plow and a trailer sand spreader designed and built in the street Department repair shop. Note the extra metal weights placed on the rear wheel hubs to give added traction. The V-type plow has been found from experience to be more satisfactory than the reversible blade plows, especially after heavy drifting storms. The sand spreader holds approximately 1/2 cubic yard of sand. It has sloping false bottom lined with sheet metal which assists the flow of sand to the rotor which is placed just to the rear of the main axle. The surface of this rotor is covered with beads of steel which operates against a steel fibre brush to deliver a carpet of sand 30 inches in width over the surface of the icy sidewalks. The power for revolving the rotor is obtained from the small wheelbarrow rubber tired wheel which make a contact on the surface of one of the trailer wheels and is transmitted to the rotor by V-belt. The pressure of this third wheel against the surface of the trailer wheel can be increased or diminished or thrown out of contact entirely by changing the position of a small lever mounted on the side of the trailer which is easily accessible to the driver."
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Road Construction
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- Description: Undated photograph of a street grading project in preparation for paving Blodgett Street in Burlington's old North End.
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Burlington Streets: Staniford Road
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- Date Created: 1942-09-30
- Description: September 30, 1942. Photo No. 13. This view shows the operation of the power grader in the final shaping of the stabilized material after mixing had been thoroughly completed. Note the compaction under the weight of the rubber tires. In order to eliminate possible scaling or cleavage of materials where compaction takes place under the tires, the entire surface is scarified lightly with a spike-tooth harrow before final rolling.
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Burlington Streets: Staniford Road
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- Description: This view of Staniford Road shows the Bower Grader wind rowing the pavement mixture toward the gutter to the crown leaving the surface to a uniform crown and grade. Work by Burlington Street Dept. Undated but may be 1942.
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Burlington Street Department Buildings - Equipment
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- Date Created: 1941-01-07
- Description: Photograph dated Jan. 7, 1941. Original caption reads: "Allis-Chalmers tractors and Baker "V" type snowplow units used for plowing sidewalks. These four snowplow units replaced the thirteen horse-drawn units that had always been used previously. No. 1 and No. 2 Tractors were purchased in November, 1939 and No. 3 and No. 4 Tractors were purchased in November, 1940. These units do the entire sidewalk plowing consisting of approximately 130 miles of sidewalks in the city of Burlington at very much less cost and much more efficiently than the old horse-drawn units. The trailer sleds shown in the picture were used for sanding sidewalks during the winter 1940-41."
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Ticonderoga - Move to Shelburne Museum
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- Date Created: 1955-01-19
- Description: 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, New Hampshire to oversee the ship's overland trip. Photo 104.
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Winooski Bridge
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- Date Created: 1943-06-03
- Description: 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.
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Burlington Street Department Buildings - Equipment
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- Date Created: 1944-03-22
- Description: Photograph dated Mar. 22, 1944. Original caption read: "This view shows one of our sidewalk plowing and sanding units consisting of a rubber tired Allis-Chalmers IB tractor with Baker V-type 5 ft width plow and a trailer sand spreader designed and built in the Street Department repair shop."
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Burlington Streets: Main Street (Upper)
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- Date Created: undated
- Description: Winter view of Main Street after a heavy snow fall looking northeast and city street dept crew with tractor with spiked wheels pulling truck with attached snowplowing equipment. On the left is 278 Main Street, a Greek revival home. Elm trees line the road. Undated (1920s?)
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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- Description: Column of tractor drawn artillery and other ordnance on road with utility poles.
- Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs