Thomas Nelson Conrad (1837-1905) served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War and as President of Virginia Tech. The collection consists of the original manuscript of The Rebel Scout: A Thrilling History of Scouting Life in the Southern Army, written by Conrad from 1891 to 1893, and published in 1904.

The John Murray Papers document the participation of John Murray, a Virginia Tech chemistry professor from 1942 to 1971, in Virginia's ornithological community. Collected materials include manuscript articles, scholarly correspondence, and bird watching logs which focus largely on Montgomery County, Virginia.

The Ellison A. Smyth, Sr. collection contains papers including his correspondence with professional and amateur scientists, collectors, dealers and suppliers around the world concerning entomology and zoology, his publications, and field journals from his entomological work.

The Charles E. Vawter Family Collection contains a ledger from 1882-1883, two Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Bugle yearbooks from 1900 and 1913, a CDV photo album, and two early daguerreotypes.