The collection consists of items used and created during the city of Portland's Historic Resource Inventory (HRI). The materials were gathered by Ruth A. Ferry, chair of the citizens committee for the Piedmont area during the project. The materials include a Citizens' Advisory Committee Workbook, a Selected Properties book, contact information for the Humboldt/Piedmont citizens committee, neighborhood walking tour brochures, and flyers about historic locations in the city. The Citizens Advisory Committee Workbook was one of ten workbooks issued during the Historic Resource Inventory. It was used during the citizen review phase of the project and consists of a directory of all properties in the near northeast neighborhoods that were originally nominated for the inventory, along with research data about each property. This data includes the address, year built, architectural style, original function, and any special features. The Selected Properties book lists the near northeast properties that were ultimately chosen for inclusion in the the HRI, and contains similar research data as that provided in the committee workbook.

Also included in the collection is a single album (36 double sided pages) that contains 74 photographs and accompanying text describing and detailing the neighborhood, history, and houses of the Piedmont and Lower Piedmont area of Portland. The text consists of both handwritten notes and full-page typed narratives that discuss locations and buildings in the neighborhood, such as Peninsula Park and Piedmont Presbyterian Church. Most photographs depict neighborhood homes and include an index card of handwritten information about the houses. Information on the cards includes, when known, dates of construction, names and occupations of the original owners, and any home improvements or changes that have been made. In addition to the original album, preservation photocopies made by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library are available for each page of the album, in corresponding order.