Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Miles C. Horton, Jr., Papers, Ms1990-137, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Miles C. Horton, Jr., Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in multiple accruals, dated 1985 and 1991.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Miles C. Horton, Jr., Papers commenced and was completed in November, 2022. Preliminary processing had been performed in 1991.

Biographical / Historical

Miles Christopher Horton, Jr., son of Miles Christopher Horton and Theodosia Liipfert Taliaferro, was born in Raleigh (Wake County), North Carolina, on August 7, 1916. Following his parents' separation, the younger Horton and his brother Frank were raised in the Winston-Salem home of their grandfather. The 1936 University of North Carolina yearbook lists him as a freshman. By 1939, Horton was living in Clarksville (Mecklenberg County), Virginia. On January 23 of that year, he married Julia Caroline Heick (1914-1981) in Raleigh; the couple would have one daughter. The 1940 census shows the Hortons living in the home of Miles Horton's mother in Clarksville, with Miles Horton employed as an insurance agent. The 1950 federal census lists the family as residents of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and describes Horton as a census enumerator crew leader. According to other sources, Horton operated a bookstore in Virginia Beach, Virginia, during this period, then owned a bookstore in Norfolk. By 1953, Horton was employed as a librarian at Woman's College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. On June 27, 1953, Horton married Edna Ruth Cline (1920-2012), a registered nurse, in Arlington, Virginia. In 1956, he became a reference librarian at Virginia Tech, retiring in 1959. After traveling extensively, the Hortons in 1964 moved into their home, "Nightmare Abbey," on Salt Pond Mountain in Giles County, Virginia. Heir to a tobacco fortune, Horton became a philanthropist, and the Hortons were frequent benefactors of Virginia Tech, particularly in the fields of science and the arts. In addition to funding various programs, the couple donated donated 150 acres and several buildings on the mountain for the university's research use. Miles C. Horton, Jr., died in Giles County on February 7, 2001, and was cremated.

Scope and Content

This collection contains papers of Miles C. Horton, Jr., a resident of Newport (Giles County), Virginia. The collection focuses primarily on Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek . Included are several letters from Dillard, relating to books, protozoa, science and nature, and mutual acquaintances. Also included is an inscribed copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek ; the Summer 1988 issue of The Yale Review , containing an essay, "Making Contact," by Dillard; and articles about the author. The collection also contains material relating to poet and critic Randall Jarrell (1914-1965), including a 1965 letter written by a student of Jarrell's just weeks before the writer's death and commenting on his decline; and the Spring 1961 issue of Analects , entirely devoted to Jarrell and his work. Also in the collection are a few drawings by Dr. Stuart Bamforth while conducting research at the laboratory on Salt Pond Mountain (Mountain Lake Biological Station) and two of Horton's illustrated name cards.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Authors, American -- 20th century
• Dillard, Annie
• Faculty and staff
• Jarrell, Randall, 1914-1965

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Miles C. Horton, Jr., Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).