The Washington Irving Babcock papers (MC 57) consists of eight scrapbooks, sketchbooks and journals kept during the course of his life from his school days to the latter part of his career. The scrapbooks have been arranged in flat boxes according to size. Most of the books are in extremely brittle condition. The earliest scrapbook dating from 1874 includes clippings on a wide variety of topics, math notes, short stories (perhaps written for school assignments), and expense accounts. Two sketchbooks display Babcock's artistic talent. An RPI scrapbook (indexed) includes clippings, ephemera and report cards from his days as a student and member of Delta Kappa Epsilon through his years as an active alumnus. A scrapbook dating from 1883 consists entirely of obituary clippings including several pages of clippings regarding the death of his father, Captain David S. Babcock and several pages devoted to John Roach, his former employer. Obituaries of noted individuals such as Mark Twain, Jenny Lind and Richard Wagner. Clippings regarding love and romance make up the bulk of material kept in a scrapbook dating from 1881-1883, a period when Babcock was likely courting his wife Grace Kernochan. Babcock kept a scrapbook of clippings, ephemera and photographs during the time of his work and residence in Chester, PA. Among the items he kept are a certificate of membership in the National Guard of Pennsylvania dated 1881 and his discharge dated 1886. A daily journal kept by Babcock from 1899 to 1903 notes his work at the Chicago Shipbuilding Co. The final scrapbook, dating from 1899 to 1915, contains many photographs of fishing and hunting trips to Moorhead Lake. Valentine, Christmas and other holiday cards from his wife are also included in this book.