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“The town of Horatio was given its name by Colonel Fred B. Hubbell. At the time the town was founded, Mr. Hubbell was general manager of the Texarkana and Ft. Smith Railroad. It was the last town laid out during his administration of the affairs of the railroad. He took much pride in it, watched its growth with deep interest and spoke of it as his ‘baby’. Colonel Hubbell, in conversation with the writer in 1896, explained the circumstances which caused him to select the name for the new town. He wished to have one town in the territority, which the road was opening up, named for his father, General Horatio Hubbell.

The company, about this time, was having trouble over the construction of the bridge across Little River. The company desired to have a straight bridge, as it finally did, while outside influences were trying to force it to construct a draw bridge.

In the midst of this difficulty, the question of naming the new town came up. The perplexing bridge problem, the town site just beyond, and his father′s name, all unconsciously carried him back to his boyhood days, when he studied Roman History and read how the legendary hero Horatious Cocles defended the bridge over the Tiber against the army of Lars Porsema. So, to honor his father and the brave Roman youth and also to perpetuate the memory of his successful fight in the bridge controversy, he named the town HORATIO.”

Excerpt from the Arkansas Centennial Edition of the De Queen Bee published October 23, 1936.