Herbert Baxter Adams (1850-1901) was an American educator and historian. The collection consists of material spanning 1851-1903. The materials include correspondence, lectures, writings, research material, files related to Johns Hopkins University, the United States Bureau of Education, the American Historical Association Committee of Seven, personal files, and prints and photos.

James Ryder Randall (1839-1908) was a native of Maryland and penned the poem, Maryland, My Maryland! which was adopted as the state song in 1939. The collection includes autograph transcriptions of a letter to Charles F. Gunther of Chicago and the accompanying aforementioned poem.

James Roberts Gilmore (1822-1903) was an American author who often used the pseudonym "Edmund Kirke." This collection includes letters collected by Gilmore from literary, political, and popular individuals of the 19th century. The letters span the years 1820 to 1903.