Hornbrook is located on the the Susquehanna River, near the town of Towanda whose name comes from a Native American word meaning "where we bury the dead."

In 1793, the Asylum Company purchased 1,600 acres of these wild valleys as a refuge for Marie Antoinette of France, should she escape to America. "La Grande Maison," a queenly house, was built. French noblemen settled here and a thriving community (called Azilum) was planned. The colony was unsuccessful and most of its founders returned to France. Many of their descendants, however, still live in Bradford County.