Map of Hornbeak town

Hornbeak is a town in Obion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 424 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Union City, TN–KY Micropolitan Statistical Area. Hornbeak was originally known as Wilsonville, not to be confused with the settlement of the same name in Cocke County. It was renamed Hornbeak after the owner of the town’s general store, Frank Hornbeak.

Hornbeak town overview:
Name:	Hornbeak town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Tennessee
County:	Obion County
Elevation:	476 ft (145 m)
Total Area:	1.05 sq mi (2.72 km²)
Land Area:	1.05 sq mi (2.72 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	511
Population Density:	486.20/sq mi (187.74/km²)
ZIP code:	38232
Area code:	731
FIPS code:	4736000
GNISfeature ID:	1288362

Online Interactive Map

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

Hornbeak location map. Where is Hornbeak town?

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

Hornbeak location on the Tennessee map. Where is Hornbeak town. — Location of Hornbeak in Tennessee.

History

The Riders |1906

During the attempts to privately control Reelfoot Lake in 1906, “The Night Riders” came to the nearby town of Hornbeak and gave all the black families notice to get out. The Riders stated that when they returned any black still there would be killed. True to their word, The Riders returned the next day and rounded up all the black males they could find in short notice. They were mostly shot, a few hanged but all buried on private land, alongside State road 21, just inside the East current city limits on the North side. The women and children were spared, and all quickly relocated. For many years following the killings, the victims families visited on the weekend. As late as 1930 my mom witnessed them. They picnicked and kept the graves clean but after several years the owner fenced the land and bulldozed any markers that remained. My mother took me to the location in 1960 and pointed it out so that it would not be forgotten. (36.3400347, -89.2753623) My grandmother acknowledged having seen the acts, saying “I’ve seen The Riders and I’ve seen what they do!”, but refusing to speak further, visibly still shaken, after over 60 years.