Hornbeck is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Vernon Parish,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census, up from 435 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. It is part of the Fort Johnson South Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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 The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operated in 10 Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ark ...

(KCS) for $8,640. Structures necessary for servicing locomotives were constructed as well as a brick kiln to supply bricks for construction.All information contained in the History Section may be found at th
Town of Hornbeck's
official website. In 1897, the first

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

opened in the area with Walter Carey as the first

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

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 William Wright (W. W.) Heard (April 28, 1853 - May 31, 1926) was the 32nd Governor of Louisiana from 1900 to 1904. His governorship saw the start of the Louisiana's oil and gas industry. Early life Heard was born April 28, 1853, to Stephen S. Hea ...

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.

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 Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

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. Hornbeck Town Hall

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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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 Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of major U.S. Army exercises held from August to September 1941 in northern and west-central Louisiana, an area bounded by the Sabine River to the west, the Calcasieu River to the east, and by the city of ...

.” 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 Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of , the largest man-made body of water partially in both Louisiana and Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest by surfac ...

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.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 435 people, 181 households, and 121 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 227 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.02%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.30%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.07% Native American, 0.23%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.23% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population. There were 181 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,446, and the median income for a family was $33,036. Males had a median income of $27,750 versus $17,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $11,237. About 13.2% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 29.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Founded in 1897 and incorporated in 1902, Hornbeck is the northernmost community in Vernon Parish. The first town government was appointed by Governor

in 1902 and consisted of a Mayor, 3 Aldermen and a Town Marshal. Today Hornbeck's government (mayor-council system) consists of a Mayor, four councilmen and one councilwoman and a Chief of Police.Town of Hornbeck
/ref> Under the mayor-council government, the mayor serves as the executive officer of the town. As the town's chief administrator and official representative, the mayor is responsible for the general management of the town and for seeing that all laws and ordinances are enforced via the Chief of Police.

Education

Hornbeck is a part of the Vernon Parish School District headquartered in Leesville and has been home to Hornbeck High School, the only public school in the community, since 1898. In 1910, Hornbeck High School became an affiliated high school, although on the school's crest it bears the date 1913.

Notable people

* Bryan A. Poston, a Hornbeck businessman, was a member of the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...

from 1964-1992. He succeeded his father, Charles M. Poston, Sr., who held the same seat from 1960-1964. Both were Democrats. * Frank A. Howard, a former Vernon Parish Sheriff, has been representing the 24th district in the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

since his election in 2007. * William H. West was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1978 to 1984.William H. West (obituary)
/ref>

Gallery

File:FBC Hornbeck 001.JPG, Hornbeck First Baptist Church 2010 File:New Gym Hornbeck Louisiana High School.jpg, The HHS New Gym 2010 File:Hornbeck High School Auditorium, Hornbeck, Louisiana.jpg, The HHS Auditorium 2010 File:Hornbeck High School, Hornbeck, Louisiana.jpg, The Hornbeck High School 2010 File:Elementary school at Hornbeck High School.jpg, The HHS Elementary School 2010 File:Old Gym Hornbeck Louisiana High School.jpg, The HHS Old Gym 2010

References

{{authority control Towns in Louisiana Towns in Vernon Parish, Louisiana