The Mary Hagen papers consist of a 52-page unpublished memoir written by Hagen in 1996. The memoir is untitled and describes her life growing up on an Iowa farm from early childhood until her marriage to Orville Hagen. Thoroughly covering typical issues facing farm families at the time, Mary Hagen discusses everyday operations on the farm, livestock, chores, hired help, planting, and harvest. Hagen explains rural school life and tells the story of her first day of school. Special animals on the farm are remembered and Hagen tells of her plight with what she calls her nemesis on the farm, the chicken. Hagen describes in full the variety of food raised in the garden and how it was gathered and preserved. Butchering livestock and hauling manure, two of the least pleasant chores on a farm, are tasks Hagen vividly recalls. Hagen includes a family history and tells numerous anecdotes ending with the story of the tornado that destroyed her parents' farm the summer of their marriage in 1921. The Mary Hagen memoir is a comprehensive and fond look back at day to day life on the farm as a young girl.