Louis McAllister
ca. 1935

Caitlin Corkins
October 14, 2006

Lewis McAllister took this photograph in 1936.  Our view is of Shelburne Road looking north into the city.  To the right is Swift Street and to the left, the town line is visible.  To the left, a sign indicates a speed limit of 30 miles per hour within the city limits and ahead, a dip in the road and white guardrails indicate where the Potash Brook runs beneath the highway. The Potash Brook flows between Burlington and South Burlington.  Its main stem originating in Williston, Vermont flowing north to what is now Route 2 and then west, discharging into the northeast corner of Shelburne Bay in Lake Champlain. [1]

In 1936, this area remained far from the built-up part of Burlington and was instead, open countryside.

[1] www.shelburnebay.org/pages/facts/html. October 10, 2006.

Standing in the same spot McAllister did 70 years ago, it is hard to imagine this was once a peaceful country road.  The road over the Potash Brook has been widened several times, and is now six lanes wide here where Interstate Highway 189 intersects Shelburne Road.  Massive metal signage directs traffic at this busy intersection and two large shopping centers flank either side of the road. 

One thing that has not changed is the speed limit.  Within the city limits, cars must still travel at 30 miles per hour along Shelburne Road.  Also noteworthy is that today, the Potash Brook enters a 725-foot culvert as it approaches Shelburne Road. [2] Thus, no remnant of the brook is visible from the street.

[2] www.shelburnebay.org/pages/facts/html.

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