The Henrietta Edgecomb Hooker Papers consist of correspondence, writings, magazine and newspaper articles, and photographs. The materials document her experiences as a botany professor at Mount Holyoke College, her hobby of raising and showing Buff Orpington chickens, and her interests in botany. Included is information concerning a hiking tour of Western Massachusetts for Mount Holyoke College students which was led by Hooker. Of note are letters in which Hooker discusses the destruction of Mount Holyoke's Seminary Building by fire in 1896. There is also an article about the history of Mount Holyoke College and the school's need for funds in the aftermath of the fire. Also, in letters written to Mount Holyoke College president Mary Woolley, Hooker states her vision of the history and future of Mount Holyoke College Botany Department. Some letters and writings describe the lives and work of Mary Lyon, Mount Holyoke College president Elizabeth Storrs Mead, and botany professor Lydia W. Shattuck.

This collection is organized into five series:

• Correspondence
• Writings
• Chicken Information
• Biographical Information
• Photographs