In addition to serving as the institutional memory of The Catholic University of America (CUA), the American Catholic History Research Center is also the official repository for numerous national Catholic organizations around Washington, D.C. This convergence makes it a particularly rich destination for primary source material documenting the history of Catholic education in the United States. The Archives holds extensive documentation of CUA from its founding in 1887 to the present day, particularly in the realm of photographs. Meanwhile, the organizational records of the National Catholic Education Association make up a huge collection of Catholic education primary source material. Aside from primary sources, the Archives also offers access to exhibits, classroom sites, research databases, and printed material containing further information on Catholic education not only at CUA but across the United States.

The aerial photograph below shows the CUA campus ca. 1930.