Archive Holdings
ANNUALS: The collection of San Pedro High School annuals is complete from 1909 to the early 1980s with the exception of 1935 and 1950. The World War I and World War II years produced no year books. See Annuals Index.
DOCUMENTS: The Document File has documents in many areas with emphasis on the early days of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, Fort MacArthur, the local fishing industry and local unions. Many documents are original sources. See Document Index.
EPHEMERA: The Ephemera File has a variety of items ranging from napkins from the Free Harbor Breakwater celebration to old cruise line menus to business cards. Many of these cards represent businesses no longer here. See Ephemera Index.
LIBRARY: The Library emphasizes local history, marine business, union history,Terminal Island and some San Pedro City Directories.
MAPS:
The Large Map collection is housed in two map cases. Original maps of the harbor and community are here, as well as copies of such maps as the Sanborn Maps for the early years. Many maps show the changes that took place in the development of the harbor. See Map Index.
The Small Map collection has maps of early days. A recent copy from the 1953 Thomas Bros. Map Book shows the streets in the housing projects no longer in existence (i.e. Channel Heights). Maps of Terminal Island prior to the many changes are also available for research. See Map Index.
Maps and Rolled Drawings consist of a collection of large architectural charts and maps covering the Harbor, San Pedro streets, railroads, geological surveys, the viaduct, and Ports O’Call master plan. See Map Index.
MICROFILM: Microfilms of each San Pedro newspaper, starting with the San Pedro News (from 1906 to March 1928), San Pedro Pilot (1917 to March 1928), and then the combined San Pedro News-Pilot from 1928 to 2000. A microfilm reader is available with an usage fee of $2.00, plus a charge for printing copies.
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS: The Newspaper Clippings are organized by subject. Most of the clippings are from the 1970s to the present. The Biography file is extensive. Additionally, the Archives has copies of local papers from 1910 to the 1940s. These include the Daily News, The Pilot and The News-Pilot. The collection is not complete. The collection also includes copies of the papers of the high school, junior high school and Random Lengths. See Newspaper Clippings Index.
ORAL INTERVIEWS: There are over 100 Oral Interview cassettes. The Oral History Committee continues to interview members of the community. A transcriber is working on transcribing the cassettes.
PAMPHLETS: The Pamphlet File compliments the collection. The Port of Los Angeles section includes the annual reports from the early years to the 1990s. There are other Port publications. Among the many areas covered, we are accumulating a collection of locally produced cookbooks from the various community groups of San Pedro starting in the 1950s. See Pamphlet Index.
PERIODICALS: The Periodicals include a variety of materials that deal with local history, geography, unions, shipping and articles that mention San Pedro and the South Bay area. Also available are the indexes for some periodicals compiled by AnnaMarie and Everett Hager. See Periodicals Index.
PICTURES:
The Large Picture File has over 10,000 photos which are organized by subject matter. There is an emphasis on the Port of Los Angeles, local street scenes, schools, churches and Terminal Island. See Large Picture Index.
The Small Picture File has an extensive collection of photos of fishing boats from the days of San Pedro’s heavy involvement in the fishing industry. Many of the small photos are of more recent times.See Small Picture Index.
Oversize pictures, posters, artwork and scrapbooks are housed in the map cases. See Oversize Picture Index.
The Large Slide File is small but does have some early views.
The Small Slide File is larger and includes a slide presentation of the Terminal Island Japanese evacuation. It also includes local stain glass windows, Fort MacArthur and community activities.
The Negative File offers negatives covering businesses (many of which no longer exist), fishing boats and the Port of Los Angeles. See Negative File Index.
POSTCARDS: Scenes from San Pedro are featured, although there are some cards from Catalina and Marineland as well.
REALIA: This file has 3-dimentional articles ranging from items dug up in the creation of the Marina, to memorabilia from the Port of Los Angeles, to plaques from the Fishermen’s Fiesta, to buttons from local organizations.
VIDEOS: The video collection contains videos of oral interviews, Society programs, locally produced videos on the World Port and San Pedro Hospital and other local groups. There are also some videos on various Sportswalk dedications and local games.
Some local organizations have deposited their past records with the Archives. Included in this group are the San Pedro Women’s Club, the San Pedro Garden Club, the Mazzini and the San Pedro Branch of the American Association of University Women.
Many papers were donated from Vincent Thomas, longtime Assemblyman and John Gibson, longtime 15th District Councilman.
The above material is acquisitioned and indexed. A card catalog offers additional assistance. Our skilled volunteers are ready to assist researchers. We continue to acquire new materials in all areas.