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History · Hornbeak

Hornbeak’s post office opened in 1881, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1925 on, and the census since 1930.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hornbeak’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hornbeak began

When was Hornbeak founded?

1881

The Hornbeak post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wilsonville (1873), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 422 in 19302020 census: 511145 years
Founding year: the first Hornbeak post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hornbeak’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19255 editions of the USGS map, 1925 to 1983. Watch Hornbeak change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hornbeak’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hornbeak’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewTennessee - Reelfoot Lake: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Hornbeak on the map, 1925 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hornbeak. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hornbeak on the 1925 USGS mapHornbeak on the 1939 USGS mapHornbeak on the 1956 USGS mapHornbeak on the 1964 USGS mapHornbeak on the 1983 USGS map1925Reelfoot Lake sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hornbeak.

The story

How Hornbeak came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hornbeak.

Read it all →

Prior to the establishment of the town, in 1854 a school was started in what locals refer to as "old Center Cemetery," which is located just south of modern-day Hornbeak. The school stayed in operation until 1885.

Hornbeak was originally settled in the 1870s as Wilsonville. By 1887, the name was changed to Hornbeak, after Frank Hornbeak, a local store owner who also served as the postmaster. The town saw its first bank, the Bank of Hornbeak, in 1904, incorporated in 1916 with John Hodge serving as the first mayor.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hornbeak, 1873 to 1925

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Wilsonville post office opens
  3. 1880Post officeThe Wilsonville post office closes
  4. 1881Post officeThe Hornbeak post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1917In the archiveTennessee - Reelfoot Lake
  7. 1925On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hornbeak, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
Tennessee - Reelfoot Lake1917Tennessee - Reelfoot LakeTennessee - Reelfoot Lake1917Tennessee - Reelfoot Lake
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Hornbeak-Main-St-block-tn2019Hornbeak-Main-St-block-tnHornbeak-Lovetts-tn2019Hornbeak-Lovetts-tnHornbeak-City-Hall-tn2019Hornbeak-City-Hall-tnHornbeak-Church-of-Christ-tn2019Hornbeak-Church-of-Christ-tn
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Tennessee - Reelfoot Lake
Retake this viewTennessee - Reelfoot Lake, 1917

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hornbeak’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Hornbeak, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 511

Between 307 and 511 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hornbeak’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Hornbeak

Nobody well known was born in Hornbeak itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Carl PerkinsAmerican guitarist · b. 1932
Hayden WhiteAmerican historian · b. 1928
George WoodsAmerican shot putter · b. 1943
Donna HightowerAmerican soul singer · b. 1926
Eddie AcuffAmerican actor · b. 1903
Koko B. WareAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1957
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Hornbeak’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Wilsonville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wilsonville
1873–1880
Hornbeak
1881–today
18701950today
1cemetery inside Hornbeak
Hornbeak

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Hornbeak’s history

What year was Hornbeak founded?

The Hornbeak post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.