On display in the library of The Kate Shepard House are family artifacts dating back as far as the early 1800s. Kate’s maternal grandmother’s family, The McRaes from Mississippi, passed on to this Shepard family a large collection of their letters, receipts, land deeds and miscellaneous important papers. Left in the attic with Shepard family items, these hugely historical papers have proved to be a link to important history concerning the Civil War. The Confederate Relic Room in Columbia, South Carolina now has a portion of their museum dedicated to “The McRae Papers,” the collection of rare Civil War documents found in the attic of The Kate Shepard House.