The Margaret Keyes papers date from 1907 to 2015 and measure 7 linear feet. The papers are arranged in nine series: Personal, Home Economics, University of Iowa Activities, Nineteenth Century Home Architecture in Iowa City, Old Capitol Restoration, Organizations, Artifacts, Photographs, and Education.

The Personal series (1944-2015) documents Keyes' world tour with F. Eugenia Whitehead in 1968. In addition, it includes over fifty years of correspondence from Keyes' family and friends. Materials regarding Keyes' membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa honors societies round out the series.

The Home Economics series (1951-1990) documents Keyes' work and activities in Home Economics while she was a faculty member at the University of Iowa.

The Correspondence subseries (1956-1987) contains correspondence between Keyes and students, the University of Iowa Home Economics department, and various home economics related groups and businesses.

The Courses subseries (1954-1984) includes syllabi, class notes, weaving samples, and student projects from the courses that Keyes taught at the University of Iowa.

The Professional Activities subseries (1953-1990) documents Keyes' work in Home Economics outside of the University of Iowa Home Economics Department. Some notable components of this series are Keyes' personal weaving records, materials from Keyes' study trips to Europe, and letters to Keyes from other universities offering her positions.

The final subseries contains materials regarding Keyes' membership in Home Economics Professional Associations (1951-1986). It contains meeting minutes and materials from Keyes' work on the art section of the American Home Economics Association and correspondence regarding Keyes' involvement with the Iowa branch of that organization.

The University of Iowa Activities series (1907-1990) includes information regarding Keyes' activities at the University outside of the home economics department and Old Capitol restoration. The series details her involvement in exhibits at the University of Iowa Arts Museum and her activities on a variety of university committees including the Campus Planning Committee, the University of Iowa Architecture Committee, and the Council of the Friends of the University of Iowa Libraries.

The 19th Century Home Architecture of Iowa City series (1917-1999) provides information on Keyes' published work and her activities to promote it. It includes short magazine pieces that Keyes published on her research and publicity materials regarding her work. In addition, the series contains handwritten speech notes that Keyes used when presenting her work to area clubs and organizations.

The Old Capitol Restoration series (1931-1992) contains materials from Keyes' work as director of the restoration of the old state capitol in Iowa City. The bulk of the series consists of Keyes' original drafts from throughout her writing process for the work Old Capitol: Portrait of a Landmark. The series also contains publicity materials, speech notes, and information about the historic preservation awards she received in recognition of her work on the project.

The Organizations series (1967-1998) documents Keyes' work in historical organizations. The series is divided into three categories--city and county organizations, state organizations, and national organizations--and includes correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, conference materials, research materials, programs, and speeches. While most of the organizations are represented by just a folder or two, there are substantial files documenting Keyes' involvement in the State Historical Society of Iowa's Board of Trustees, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Iowa City Urban Renewal Board, and the Victorian Society of America.

The Photographs series (1922-1994) is divided into five subseries: Miscellaneous, Terrace Hill Society, State Historical Society of Iowa, University of Iowa Home Economics Department, and Negatives. Researchers may also find photos of Keyes' travels and personal life in the Floy Eugenia Whitehead papers of the Iowa Women's Archives.

2007 ACCESSION

The series used to organize the 2007 accession mirrors the series used in earlier accessions, but it also includes one new series, Education. The 2007 accession consists of correspondence with Keyes, including original cards from local artist Eleanor Simmons, a video interview of Keyes, and additional research, career-related items, slides and photographs.

The Education series (1951-1965) documents Keyes' work as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin and Florida State University. It includes notebooks, assignments, research and essays for classes. The correspondence concerns the progress Keyes made on her PhD while she was living in Iowa City.