This collection includes six letters, two printed certificates, and an inscribed set of two volumes of Buffon's Natural History Abridged, all signed by George Washington between 1776 and 1798.

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.

John Pendleton Kennedy (1795-1870) was an author, politician, lawyer, and original trustee of the Peabody Institute. The John Pendleton Kennedy papers, 1812-1896, contain correspondence, manuscripts, scrapbooks, and other documents related to Kennedy's varied personal and professional interests, including documents related to the founding and early years of the Peabody Institute.