The collection contains items collected by J. G. Hays of East Lansing, Michigan, including a contract between the Fort Pitt Coal Company of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and William and David Rinehart and John Hays (September 23, 1867); a deed for property in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (September 17, 1881); and a road map of Ohio for bicycle travelers, published by C. S. Mendenhall, Cincinnati, Ohio.