Ellwood S. Harrar served as a Professor of Wood Technology at Duke University from 1936 to 1974, and as Dean of the Duke University School of Forestry from 1957 to 1967. He researched and published extensively on forestry and dendrology. The Ellwood S. Harrar Papers contain documents related to his interests in the lumber industry and wood production. As a Dean, he participated in the planning for the new Biological Sciences Building and frequently corresponded with contractors and vendors regarding its construction. The materials in the collection are primarily correspondence, but it also includes academic papers, biographical sketches, and photographs, among other materials. Major subjects include the U.S. wood industry, wood technology, and forest research. Major correspondents include the Navy Bureau of Ships, Swift and Company, J.P. Perry, J. George Harrar, and the Brunswick Pulp Research Fund. English.

Collection includes correspondence, papers, photographs, and other documents related to Ellwood S. Harrar's career as a professor of forestry and Dean of the School of Forestry at Duke University. It is organized into the following series: Series 1, Personal, 1928-1975; Series 2, Duke University, 1951-1974; and Series 3, Correspondence, 1946-1974.