The bulk of the collection consists of photographs and newspapers or other publications relating to the career of Charles P. Harman, particularly his work at the Swan Island shipyard during World War II and at Detroit Dam in the early 1950s. Publications in the collection include issues of The Bo's'n's Whistle and Mill City Enterprise. The collection also includes materials relating to the family of Charles Harman's nephew Halray Harman, such as an Oregon State College student directory owned by Halray's mother, and family photographs depicting the Enterprise, Oregon, area. Additional materials include memoranda sent to Swan Island shipyard workers, photographs relating to the Grand Coulee Dam, images of Multnomah Falls and of the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, and photographs of Oregon and Washington locations.