The Ipswich Female Seminary Collection consists of catalogues, circulars and announcements, administrative and regulatory documents, records of the Society for the Education of Females, a student document, correspondence, a speech, ceremonial records, a book, published articles, and photographs. Most of the collection concerns the courses and principles of the Seminary and the activities of its students, teachers, and alumnae. The catalogues list the names and home addresses of the students, names of teachers and trustees, and provide information on the curriculum, objectives, academic calendar, and fees of the Seminary. The collection also includes publicity pamphlets and reports of the 1836 and 1837 winter terms, as well as published and unpublished rules and regulations for students and teachers. The collection includes records for the Society for the Education of Females, which loaned money to Ipswich students. These records consist of the constitution, regulations, notes, as well as records of the beneficiaries and benefactors of the Society. The correspondence was written by and to the Seminary students, alumnae, and faculty between 1830-1864, mostly describing students' impressions of the Seminary, accommodations, daily schedules and traditions, as well as the characters of Zilpah P. Grant and Mary Lyon. One letter from 1849 recounts Lyon's death. Other information in the collection includes the address "Hints on Reading" given at the Seminary by Reverend Daniel Dana in 1834, as well as the "Order of Exercises," which contains the schedule for examinations and music recitations, "Farewell Songs" and graduating ceremony program of the school. There is also historical information on the Seminary documenting the founding and importance of the school in advancing female education, and the influence of teachers Grant, Lyon, and graduate Eunice Caldwell Cowles on the Seminary. There are portraits of several students and stereoscopic photographs showing the Seminary building.

This collection is organized into twelve series:

• Catalogues
• Circulars and Announcements
• Administrative Documents
• Society for the Education of Females Records
• Regulatory Documents
• Student Document
• Correspondence
• Address
• Ceremonial Records
• Book
• Historical Information
• Photographs