McAllister is located at the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 180 and County Highway JJ 11.5 miles (18.5 km) east-southeast of Wausaukee[2] at an elevation of 692 feet (211 m).[1] It is connected by road to Wausaukee to the west, Packard to the north, Wagner to the south, and Wallace, Michigan, to the east via a bridge across the Menominee River.[3] There is a Lutheran church in the community, and the Wagner town hall and Tabor Lutheran Cemetery are located to the east.[3]
History
McAllister was a stop between Wagner and Packard on the Wisconsin & Michigan (W. & M.) Railway line from Bagley Junction to Iron Mountain.[4] The rail line through McAllister was discontinued in 1938, when the tracks were torn out and the rolling stock sold off.[4][5][6] A post office was established in McAllister in 1895 and operated until 1966.[7] Segal Haulotte (1871–1939) served as the first postmaster at McAllister; he held the position for 26 years and also operated a general store.[8] Mike Pissato operated a cheese factory in McAllister in the 1920s.[9] The cheese factory was purchased by Theodore Phillips in 1929.[10] In 1946, the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province in Pulaski purchased a riverside property in McAllister as a summer camp and retreat, dubbing it Villa Alvernia.[11]