This collection includes regional and historic maps, original drawings, plans, elevations, photographs, and blueprints of residential and commercial architecture, community project plans, city/town plans, historic restoration plans and aerial photographs.  The bulk of the materials are focused on, but, not limited to the areas of Miami-Dade, Coral Gables, and Miami Beach.

Edward C. Dougherty was a Government Administrator and United Nations Expert in taxation for Latin America, as well as a private practitioner of law in the Miami area, specializing in Latin American matters. His papers consists predominantly of materials concerning real estate in Brazil, in the form of letters, maps, notes, photocopies, clippings, photographs, pamphlets, and reports.

This collection features an array of scrapbooks, many of which are homemade, from the 19th and 20th centuries. Subjects covered in these scrapbooks include fashion, advertising, history, Robert Louis Stevenson, Pat Cannon's congressional run, garden clubs, cruises, and more. These scrapbooks are comprised of portraits, photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, programs, brochures, maps, drawings, telegrams, and more. Some of the creators are unknowns or names without renown, but these scrapbooks highlight their personal tastes and interests, offering some unique insight into their lives.