Erath, Louisiana

Town of Erath
Town
225px The Acadian Museum in Erath, 2014
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Vermilion
Elevation	7 ft (2.1 m)
Coordinates
Area	1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
- land	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	2,187 (2000)
Density	1,453.7 / sq mi (561.3 / km2)
Mayor	John Earl LeBlanc (D)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	337
Location of Erath in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Erath is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area and home of the The Acadian Museum.

History

Erath is named after August Erath (b. March 18. 1843) who came from Switzerland to New Orleans in 1860 and was bookkeeper in the breweries. Later, he moved to New Iberia in 1876 and erected a brewery there. He was later mayor of New Iberia and began to develop land in the Erath area. Although August Erath never lived in Erath, he was close to railroad officials, which brought forth a great business venture for him. Later, Erath built a seltzer water factory in New Iberia and an ice plant in Abbeville. In 1884, he started a hardware business and purchased land located in this area.

In 2005, the storm surge forced inland by Hurricane Rita flooded most of the town. Water in most parts of town was up to six feet deep.

Geography

Erath is located at (29.959939, -92.035220).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	215		—
1910	575		167.4%
1920	713		24.0%
1930	895		25.5%
1940	1,408		57.3%
1950	1,514		7.5%
1960	2,019		33.4%
1970	2,024		0.2%
1980	2,259		11.6%
1990	2,428		7.5%
2000	2,187		−9.9%
2010	2,114		−3.3%
Est. 2014	2,110		−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,187 people, 819 households, and 580 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,453.7 people per square mile (562.9/km²). There were 884 housing units at an average density of 589.6 per square mile (228.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.12% White, 6.22% African American, 0.18% Native American, 3.52% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 819 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,836, and the median income for a family was $36,204. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $19,118 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,327. About 15.5% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 24.7% of those age 65 or over.

"Henry" Hub

Erath is home to Henry Hub, an important junction of natural gas pipeline systems. Natural gas prices in North America are more or less set at this junction.

The "Henry" hub is so named for its location in the Henry hamlet of Erath, which was named after the Henry High School that stood there until recently. This school was named for its benefactor, William Henry, who originally immigrated from Germany as William Henry Kittenkat circa 1840, then dropped the surname. There are Henry descendants in the area to this day.

It was customary for benefactors to sponsor schools; there were quite a few similarly sponsored schools in Vermilion Parish around that time. Being that long ago and in a rural area, with schools sometimes sponsored even in homes, there was great variation in what was offered to how many, and it often changed over time. Records say that the Henry school was founded in 1877, and apparently became a high school in 1896 because it celebrated its centennial in 1996.

In 1992, the Vermilion Parish school district reorganized the schools. Students transferred to Erath High, and Henry High became an elementary school. Then on September 24, 2005 (less than a month after Hurricane Katrina), Hurricane Rita smashed the parish and ruined the school. The area was also hit hard two years later by Hurricane Ike, and the main building was finally razed around March 2009. Likewise, St. John Catholic Church across the street had its rectory damaged; it is being replaced with a new building elevated to meet new flood standards as of early 2014.

When land for the Henry school was bequeathed, it was stipulated for education into perpetuity, or to be returned to the heirs. The gymnasium was salvaged and is still used by the school district to this day. A Google Earth comparison of, for example, Feb. 28, 2006 to April 23, 2012 at the intersection of Highways 330 and 689 shows a parking lot where the main school was, and the church's rectory gone, but the gymnasium in clear use.

People from Erath

Allen Bares, served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1972 to 1992, born in Vermilion Parish in 1936 and graduated from Erath High School in 1954.

Dudley J. LeBlanc, also served in both houses of the legislature and ran for governor on three occasions. Reared in Erath and graduated from Erath High School. He made a fortune in the early 1950s peddling the patent medicine Hadacol.

Randy Romero, Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame Jockey, born in Erath in 1957. Best known as the regular rider of Personal Ensign.

Roy R. Theriot, the mayor of Abbeville from 1956 to 1960 and the Louisiana state comptroller from 1960 until his death in office in 1973. Born in Erath in 1914.

External links

• The Acadian Museum
• Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission
• Vermilion Historical Society