Guide to Papers of Omah Scott Horton
Collection Summary
Title: Papers of Omah Scott Horton Call Number: MS 79-4 Size: 2.5 linear feet Acquisition: Gift from Omah Scott Horton's son and daughter-in-law, Frank B. and Frances Horton in 1979 Processed by: LWM, 11-8-1979; SMC, 4-17-1998
Literary rights were granted to Wichita State University. When permission is granted to examine manuscripts, it is not an authorization to publish them. Manuscripts cannot be used for publication without regard for common law literary rights, copyright laws and the laws of libel. It is the responsibility of the researcher and his/her publisher to obtain permission to publish. Scholars and students who eventually plan to have their work published are urged to make inquiry regarding overall restrictions on publication before initial research.
The Omah Scott Horton Papers include her diaries, correspondence, literary works, art works, photographs, scrapbooks, financial documents, and memorabilia which reflect her personal life as well as her professional career as a poet which spanned over fifty years (1918-1972).
Omah Scott was one of three daughters and four sons born to Francis Marion Scott and Sarah Dawson Scott. Born 31 May 1884, Omah grew to adulthood on the family farm in Hickory Hill, Missouri. She finished the eighth grade at a rural school near Hickory Hill, and then worked as a long-distance telephone operator in Jefferson City, Missouri. While working at the telephone company, she met her future husband who was employed as a lineman and electrician.
Omah married Fred D. Horton in 1907 and during the next eleven years she followed her husband to cities in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Nebraska where he was employed by public utility companies. Three sons were born to her during this time: LeRoy (1908), Francis (1914), and Fredric (1918).
In the fall of 1918, Omah joined her husband in Wellington, Kansas, where he had taken the position of City Engineer and Superintendent of Public Utilities. In January of 1919, Fred Horton boarded a train in Wellington to journey to a meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, but he never reached his destination and was never seen nor heard from again. Omah's pride and responsibility to her three small children did not allow her to dwell on the grief and frustration she felt at not knowing the fate of her husband. She concentrated her efforts on earning an income in any way possible, which meant selling baked goods and garden produce, raising and dressing chickens, entering contests, and submitting poems for publication. Thus began her career as a poet under the name of Scott Horton.
When May Williams Ward moved to Wellington in 1933, the two poets began their close friendship which lasted until Omah's death in Wellington on 16 October 1972.
Scott Horton's poetry appeared in magazines such as Collier's and Good Housekeeping, and in newspapers such as the New York Times and the Kansas City Star. A collection of her poetry entitled Even the Leaves was published in 1957. She was a member of the Kansas Authors Club and the Poetry Society of Kansas.
| Series 1 | Box 1 FF 1-9 | Diaries, 1935-1972 |
| Series 2 | Box 1 FF 10-20 | Correspondence From Omah Scott Horton |
| Series 3 | Box 1 FF 21 - Box 2 FF 14 | Correspondence to Omah Scott Horton |
| Series 4 | Box 2 FF 15-18 | Miscellaneous Correspondence |
| Series 5 | Box 2 FF 19 - Box 4 FF 12 | Literary Works |
| Series 6 | Box 4 FF 13 | Art Work |
| Series 7 | Box 4 FF 14-15 | Organizations |
| Series 8 | Box 4 FF 16 | Photograph |
| Series 9 | Box 5 FF 1-2 | Scrapbooks |
| Series 10 | Box 5 FF 3 | Clippings |
| Series 11 | Box 5 FF 4-7 | Financial Documents |
| Series 12 | Box 5 FF 8-12 | Miscellaneous |