The area surrounding Hornbeck had been sparsely settled by subsistence farmers as early as 1830. But in 1897, F.A. Hornbeck, an agent of the Arkansas Town Site Company purchased it and built a roundhouse with turntable where train engines could be repaired, and a brick kiln, as well as a water tank and windmill for power. It soon became a major railroad stop along the route from Shreveport to Port Arthur, TX. Several sawmills were built nearby and soon the town bustled with a newspaper, bank, five hotels, five saloons, and ten retail stores.
In 1912, the railway roundhouse moved to Leesville, although the lumber and turpentine industries kept the town going until the 1930’s when all the timber had been cut.
Today, Hornbeck is a quiet little town in the northwest section of Vernon Parish. It is known as the “Gateway” to Toledo Bend and the home of the Hornbeck Hornets.
© 2023 Vernon Parish Tourism Commission • 201 South 3rd Street, Leesville, LA 71446 • 337-238-0783
FIGHT FRAUD
