The Roy Jay Holden Papers include field notes, charts and maps, and geological surveys and research results, covering the history of mineralogy and geology, especially in Virginia, including work at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) Engineering Experiment Station. In addition to detailed materials on iron ores in Virginia, especially west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are reports on mines and furnaces in twenty-five counties of the state. The collection also contains Holden's notebooks, copies of addresses and speeches he made, and records from the VPI Geology Department.