Milo and Florence M. Harrison photo collection, bulk ca 1940-1950

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Summary

Title:
Milo and Florence M. Harrison photo collection
Dates:
bulk ca 1940-1950
Creators:
Harrison, Florence M., 1910-2004
Abstract:
Collection includes black and white photographs taken by photographer Florence M. Harrison of the Walteria Dicalite Company plant at which her husband, Milo Harrison, was employed as an engineer.
Containers:
box: SC 5
folder: Oversize 1
Extent:
.25 Cubic Feet 4 legal folders, 1 oversize folder
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Name of item], Milo and Florence M. Harrison photo collection (Collection 081). Local History Center, Peninsula Center Library, Palos Verdes Library District, Rolling Hills Estates, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

Includes photographs showing exterior and interior views of the Dicalite Company's Walteria plant, group photographs of Dicalite employees and photographs of fossils found in a nearby mine.

Biographical / historical:

Florence (nee Michaelis) Harrison began her work in photography in the 1930s. A long time resident of the South Bay, she helped found the South Bay Camera Club and served as its president for a number of years. She was also a member of Click Chicks Camera Club and Southern California Council of Camera Clubs. Florence's photographs were featured in magazines and newspapers and she exhibited across the country and abroad. She earned an Associateship award from the Royal Photographic Society and was a fellow of the Photographic Society of America. She was particularly known for her work with children and cats.

The Dicalite Company Walteria plant, located on the eastern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Walteria (now part of Torrance), processed diatomeceous materials quarried from land adjacent to the plant. Started in 1930, the Walteria plant was designed to process 120 tons of diatomite per day, and was a large employer in the area in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1944, the Dicalite Company was purchased by Great Lakes Carbon Corporation and subsequently acquired by General Refractories Company (GREFCO) in 1966. The Walteria plant operations ceased in 1958. Florence Harrison's husband, Milo, was a processing engineer for Dicalite.

Acquisition information:
Donated to the Local History Center by Anita Harrison Caplan, daughter of Milo and Florence Harrison.
Processing information:

Initial rehousing and stabilization of materials by Monique Sugimoto. Final arrangement and description by Monique Sugimoto, 2025 April.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Accruals:

Accruals of additional Peninsula-related photographs possible.

Physical location:
Local History Center
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Monique Sugimoto
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-29 12:13:26 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the Local History Center for access information.

Terms of access:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred citation:

[Name of item], Milo and Florence M. Harrison photo collection (Collection 081). Local History Center, Peninsula Center Library, Palos Verdes Library District, Rolling Hills Estates, CA.

Location of this collection:
701 Silver Spur Road
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274, US
Contact:
(310) 377-9584
Website