The collection consists of miscellaneous memorabilia commemorating historic events from United States and world history from the 19th and 20th centuries. Included are a a drinking cup (pewter) from the mess chest of General John B. Gordon; wood from the apple tree at the McLean house at Appomattox; flooring from Independence Hall, Phil.; packet of sand from San Salvador Island; nail from Fort Massachusets, Ship Island, Gulfport, Miss.; playing card from survivor of the Lusitania; impression of a seal found at Fort Frederica; commemorative postage stamps honoring James Edward Oglethorpe; piece of the fuselage of the Graf Zeppelin; thread from the tablecloth on which the Japanese signed the surrender papers; vial of ashes of London after the bombings of World War II; piece of Yale fence; nail from the Bastille; glass jar of coffee beans purchased during the Civil War; and newspaper clippings.