The legislative and congressional papers of Representative Schwengel cover the years 1940 to 1972. The papers are arranged chronologically and alphabetically within each year. The organization changes for 1968 and later with the addition of major subject headings: General, Correspondence, and Legislation. In 1969, Agency was also added as a heading.

The papers contain material on many subjects including the cities, counties, and colleges of Iowa's First Congressional District. Special topics of interest include agriculture, chiropractic, conservation, education, flood control, Abraham Lincoln, trucks, roads, the Republican Party, prayer in schools, transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission, the Vietnamese Conflict, and water pollution. Correspondence with many national leaders (including Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Nixon) and with Iowa political figures is included in the papers.