A LOOK BACK

Jerry Person

At the once-dangerous intersection of Main and 7th streets and Palm

Avenue stands a triangle-shaped, single-story mortuary.

This week, we’re going to look at one of the owners of that mortuary.

Before it was known as Smith’s Mortuary, it was Dixon’s Mortuary, and the

owner was a prominent pillar of our community. Arch H. Dixon was born in

1875 and lived his early years in central California.

When Dixon was growing up, America discovered the automobile as a popular

means of transportation. In those times, many of the early auto makers

staged races to advertise the car’s endurance. One of those early race

drivers was Arch Dixon. He competed against one of racing’s best known

drivers, Barney Oldfield.

In 1907, Dixon became a mortician in Bakersfield. And in 1919, he served

as coroner of Kern County. Dixon came to Huntington Beach in 1927 and in

July purchased the mortuary at 627 Main from S.L. Harrell.

He remodeled the interior of the building to give it a more pleasing and

restful -- no pun intended -- look. Dixon continued to operate the

business until July 16, 1940, when he sold it to Roy and Howard K. Smith.

Dixon also ran a mortuary in Costa Mesa, where he trained his stepson,

Milton, in the business.

When I spoke to longtime resident Vicki Lane, she told me the house she

lives in today was custom-built for Dixon and his wife. Lane said just

after World War II, her parents, Vic and Dorothy Terry, purchased the

house from Dixon.

“Mrs. Dixon, as we always referred to her, must have been a cat person

because there are four or five cat doors throughout the house,” Lane

said.

At the time Dixon built his house, that part of town was considered to be

the wrong side of the tracks, Lane said.

Dixon and his wife, Lillian, were prominent members of our social

community, and they contributed many hours to our city’s social life. The

Dixons also maintained a summer home in Altadena. Arch Dixon was a member

of our local Lions Club and a member of the Huntington Beach Rotary Club.

Dixon believed in business and was president of the Huntington Beach

Business Men’s Assn. and a staunch member of the Huntington Beach Chamber

of Commerce. He attended our Methodist church in town with his wife and

daughter, Alta.

After he retired, Dixon went to live with Alta in Oildale, Calif.

On Nov. 16, 1959, Arch Dixon passed peacefully away to become a part of

Huntington Beach’s rich and sometimes colorful history.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach 92615.