Map of Hornbeck town

Hornbeck is a town in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census, up from 435 in 2000. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Hornbeck town overview:
Name:	Hornbeck town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Louisiana
County:	Vernon Parish
Founded:	October 21, 1902
Elevation:	325 ft (99 m)
Total Area:	1.16 sq mi (2.99 km²)
Land Area:	1.15 sq mi (2.98 km²)
Water Area:	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km²)
Total Population:	430
Population Density:	373.59/sq mi (144.25/km²)
Area code:	318
FIPS code:	2236045

Online Interactive Map

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Hornbeck online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Hornbeck location map. Where is Hornbeck town?

Hornbeck location on the U.S. Map. Where is Hornbeck town. — Hornbeck location on the U.S. Map.

Hornbeck location on the Louisiana map. Where is Hornbeck town. — Location of Hornbeck in Louisiana.

History

As early as the 1830s people settled in the area now known as Hornbeck, but a town didn’t begin to form until 1897, when an agent for the Arkansas Town Site Company named F.A. Hornbeck purchased land along the Kansas City Southern Railroad (KCS) for $8,640. Structures necessary for servicing locomotives were constructed as well as a brick kiln to supply bricks for construction.

In 1897, the first Post Office opened in the area with Walter Carey as the first postmaster and later that same year he was succeeded by D.B. Pate.

The first public school in Hornbeck opened in 1898, with Miss Fannie Monk and W.L. Ford serving as the primary and grammar school teachers. The first secondary school opened in 1907 with G.S. Graybeal serving as its principal, then in 1910 the school became an affiliated high school.

On October 21, 1902, Governor William Wright Heard issued a proclamation declaring that Section 16, Township 4, North Range 10 West was incorporated as Hornbeck; with W.M. Conerly appointed mayor and G.G. Leach, W.L. Maddox and John Carter appointed aldermen; W. Johnson became the town marshal.

Kansas City Southern Railroad established a presence in Hornbeck with the construction of the roundhouse, which allowed for the servicing of engines. The presence of the roundhouse contributed to making Hornbeck a significant junction between Port Arthur, Texas and Shreveport as well as providing an abundance of jobs and influencing the town’s growth. The early twentieth century was a prosperous time for Hornbeck with both the timber and railroad industries having an established presence in the area. Hornbeck became a bustling little town, with a bank, a newspaper, five hotels, five saloons and ten retail stores.

In 1912, KCS decided to move the roundhouse to Leesville; this decision was disastrous for Hornbeck’s economy, with the town surviving on the timber, turpentine and farming industries for nearly two more decades. However, when the Great Depression hit in late 1929 it caused the timber and turpentine industries to collapse and brought an abrupt end to Hornbeck’s prosperity.

In the 1940s the Department of War established Camp Polk and conducted what became known as the “Louisiana Maneuvers.” The location of Camp Polk in Vernon Parish helped to stimulate Hornbeck’s economy as well as that of the entire region, especially Vernon Parish.

In the 1960s, with the construction of Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River, Hornbeck gained an asset and started promoting itself as the “Gateway” to Toledo Bend.

Today, Hornbeck has maintained modest growth, with its elected officials taking a pro-active approach to economic development. On October 21, 2002, Hornbeck celebrated its 100th Anniversary.