Horatio is a city in Sevier County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 920.
History
Horatio was founded in 1895 and incorporated on October 11, 1898. The town was named by Colonel Fred B. Hubbell, general manager of the Texarkana and Fort Smith Railroad. Hubbell named the town after his father, General Horatio Hubbell, and also in reference to the legendary Roman hero Horatius Cocles, who defended a bridge over the Tiber River against the army of Lars Porsena around 508 BC. According to local historians, a dispute within the railroad company over the construction of a bridge across the Little River brought the story of Horatius Cocles to Hubbell's mind, leading to the selection of the name.
The town was surveyed on January 10, 1895, by William Worth Millwee on a portion of the Henry Carter Pride farm. A post office was established in 1895, and a two-room frame schoolhouse was built in 1898. For several years until at least 1905, Horatio was a sundown town where African Americans were not permitted to live.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.80 square miles (4.66 km²), of which 1.78 square miles (4.62 km²) is land and 0.015 square miles (0.04 km²) is water. Horatio is located approximately six miles south of De Queen, near the Little River, in southwestern Arkansas near the Oklahoma border.
Demographics
As of the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic composition of Horatio was: 53.37% White (non-Hispanic), 2.28% Black or African American, 1.96% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 8.04% other or mixed race, and 34.02% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The city had 375 households and 252 families residing within it.
The median household income was $27,419 (2000 census), and approximately 13.4% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Economy
The local economy has historically been shaped by agriculture (cotton, timber, and fruit orchards), the poultry industry, and manufacturing. James McCoy's sawmill was established in 1892, and EZ Products Inc., a manufacturer of cleaning chemicals, was established in 1984. The poultry industry in southern Sevier County drew many Hispanic workers and their families to the area during the second half of the twentieth century.
Education
Public education is provided by the Horatio School District, which includes Horatio Elementary School (prekindergarten through sixth grade) and Horatio High School (grades 7–12).
Transportation
While there is no transit service within Horatio, intercity bus service is provided by Jefferson Lines in nearby Lockesburg. The city is located on the Kansas City Southern Railway.
Notable Person
- DeAnn Vaught – Horatio farmer and Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Sevier and Little River counties since 2015.
- Minor Millwee – Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
- F. Nolan Humphrey – Arkansas state auditor.
- Bess Miller Moore (also known as besmilr moore brigham) – poet.
