The Ethel Reames papers date from 1954 to 2000 and measure 2.5 linear inches. The collection consists primarily of photocopies of a disassembled scrapbook of the Reames' Noodle Company from its beginning in 1954 until it was sold in 1989. The scrapbook details the significant changes in scale, production, and marketing as the business grew from her kitchen into a twelve million dollar corporation.

The collection also contains Ethel Reames' family histories that recount in a straightforward way her childhood with alcoholic parents. Her ambition and talent are demonstrated throughout the scrapbook, while her reminiscences reveal the personal dimensions of her youthful years.