With materials which date from the period from 1866 to 1974, the contents of the Chase Curran Mooney collection relate primarily to Mooney's lifelong career as a professor and historian. The collection is organized into five series which include: Acquaintance and Student Files, Indiana University, Teaching Files, Lectures, Research and Publications and Subject Files.

The Correspondence files (1940-1973) series is primarily comprised of Mooney's communications with his students. The series is arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's surname and includes correspondence, student papers, student publications, and student recommendations written by Mooney. Files consisting entirely of recommendations are closed to researchers at this time. Some of the files held recommendations alongside other correspondence; the recommendations have been removed from the folder and filed with the other restricted material.

The Indiana University (1946-1974) series is organized into two sub-series. The first, History Department (1946-1974), is comprised of files relating to the various committees and programs that Mooney was involved in with the History Department at Indiana University. These include the Curriculum and Executive Committees, the Long-Range Planning Committee, the committee for the William M. Locke History Prize, as well as files relating to the numerous Ph.D. committees which Mooney both participated in and chaired. The second subseries, General (1949-73), contains all other files relating to Mooney's tenure at Indiana University including his participation on the Arts and Humanities Curriculum Committee, the Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and on research grants and sabbatical leaves committees.

The Teaching files (1936-1972) series includes all those materials relating to Chase Mooney's life-long career as a professor at Vanderbilt, the University of Mississippi, Brenau College, Southern Methodist University, Johns Hopkins University as a Visiting Professor, and finally for the majority of his career at Indiana University. The files syllabi and lecture notes.

The Lectures, research and publications (1935-1973) series is the largest series and is divided into three sub-series. The first sub-series, Slavery in Tennessee (1957-1971) includes correspondence, research notes, manuscripts, and reviews relating to the creation and publication of the book. The second sub-series, William H. Crawford 1772-1834 (1956-1974) contains editor's marked copies, original manuscripts, research notes, galley sheets, manuscript revision copies, and correspondence with the publisher. Finally, the last sub-series, General (1935-1973), includes files relating to the numerous other articles which Mooney published, and to lectures before organizations such as the Tennessee Historical Society, the American Historical Association, the Sothern Historical Convention, the Indiana State Teachers Association and others. These records all relate to Mooney's research interests in African-American History and more specifically the history of civil rights and slavery.

Finally, the Subject files (1823-1972) series is comprised of two sub-series. Organizations and committees (1939-1972) contains files pertaining to the various organizations that Mooney was actively involved in outside Indiana University, including the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the Southern Historical Association. The second sub-series, General (1823-1972), contains numerous miscellaneous files relating to Mooney's personal and professional life. Regarding Mooney's personal life, the files contain the diaries and journal of Chase's grandfather William West Mooney (born 1834, died 1895) and father, Aurelius Adorno Mooney (born 1866, died 1940), the Homestead certificate for the family land, and Mooney's telephone and address books. The files pertaining to his professional life include materials relating to grants and fellowships that Mooney applied for, a copy of his vita from 1969, as well as several files containing newspaper clippings on various subjects concerning current events and his research interests.