The collection includes newsclippings, histories, flyers, newsletters, minutes, correspondence, programs, yearbooks, municipal papers, and histories related to or about the city of Compton. Subjects include commerce, education, private residences, historic preservation, city anniversaries, and natural disasters.

This collection contains 27 postcards featuring black-and-white images taken in Compton, California in 1933. Most of the images were taken in the aftermath of an earthquake that hit Long Beach, California that year. Images featured include the Young Hotel, Stockwell Building, First National Bank, Aranbe Hotel, a drugstore, the view from Main Street; and other buildings and homes.