This collection contains the papers--including correspondence, legal records, and financial documents--of Henry C. Parsons, railroad executive and owner of Natural Bridge, Virginia. Parsons' correspondence relates largely to the operations of his enterprises at Natural Bridge, the Alleghany Coal and Iron Company, and the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad. Included are several letters from Edward H. Fisher, who served as Parsons' private secretary while with the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad and later as Parson's manager at Natural Bridge. Among Fisher's letters are three lengthy, detailed descriptions of his work at Natural Bridge. The most predominant correspondent in the collection is H. D. Whitcomb, president of the Kanawha Company, regarding construction of the Atlantic and Northwestern Railroad and an Ohio River crossing at Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia.

The collection also contains a few pieces of correspondence addressed to others, including several letters from S. G. Agee to Nellie Parsons regarding the sale of timber on her land. Many of the remaining letters seem to relate to a land transaction between Robert Patton, S. P. Capehart and Jerome T. Bowyer. A single letter from D. F. Houston, of Roanoke, relates to Virginia politics and the Republican Party.

Among the financial records in the collection is an 1863 quarterly report on clothing and equipment issued to Company L, 1st Vermont Cavalry. Other financial documents in the collection include receipts and account statements relating to the Alleghany Coal and Iron Company, the Kanawha Company, and the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad. Legal records include a part of the Richmond & Southwestern Railroad act of incorporation, various deeds, and summaries of legal cases. A folder of notes and ephemera completes the collection and includes the calling card of N. K. Burger.