Horatio Allen (1802-1889) was a noted civil engineer and inventor, who worked with the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, the Croton Aqueduct, and the New York & Erie Railroad. The bulk of his the papers is personal correspondence (1818-1864), and biographical materials collected by his family. Also included is a small collection of Allen's business papers, particularly concerning his work on the New York & Erie Railroad.

Errett McLeod Graham (1877-1974) was a civil engineer for various railroads. He was married to Helena "Lena" Washburn Graham (1881-1970) for nearly sixty-six years. Helena Graham was a homemaker to the couple's three children. The Grahams spent the early years of their marriage in remote railroad construction camps and small towns in Tennessee and West Virginia before settling in Rensselaer, Indiana. This item is a single-volume diary handwritten by both Errett and Lena Graham in 1910 while living in Tunnelton, West Virginia, were Errett was working for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company. The diary would be of interest to those researching women's studies, railroad history, and civil engineering.

Francis Victor du Pont (1894-1962) was a civil engineer and political figure in Delaware and Maryland. This collection combines papers and memorabilia of Francis Victor du Pont and those of his parents and ancestors.

Joseph T. Richards (1845-1933) was a career civil engineer with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company who participated in several of their large construction projects in the first decade of the twentieth century. The records consist of the contents of a small portfolio of documents relating to the construction of Pennsylvania Station and its associated yards and terminals.

The papers document the lives and careers of three generations of the immediate and extended family that began with famed Civil War officer Montgomery C. Meigs (1816-1892). The most notable members include his son, engineer Montgomery Meigs (1847-1931) and granddaughter and author Cornelia Meigs (1884-1973). The materials are about equally divided between professional activities and domestic family concerns.

Walter D. Gernet (1878-1928) was a civil engineer who worked for the Public Works Department in Philadelphia for fifteen years. After losing his position in 1918, he spent his remaining ten years working various engineering jobs. This collection of Gernet's diaries chronicles his daily life and covers eight years from the end of World War I until 1925. The diaries offer a view of an average workingman's day-to-day activities in a large urban center. This collection of diaries would be of great interest to social historians, especially those focused on early twentieth-century life in the greater Philadelphia area. Its detail encompasses work, family life, and interactions between family members and friends in the wider community.

William E. Morris (1812-1875) was a civil engineer and railroad executive. The notebook contains fourteen separate specifications for canal and railroad work copied in longhand and a fifteenth in the form of an inserted printed handbill. They offer a good snapshot of early civil engineering practice and construction techniques. Evidence points to Morris as the notebook's author.

The collection primarily consists of newspaper clippings, telegrams, resolutions, and correspondence regarding Ramsay's death and funeral.