ERATH — A museum that keeps Acadian history alive has been honored with a grant for working to keep that same history out of harm’s way during the 2005 hurricane season.

The Acadian Museum in Erath has been awarded a grant of $3,500 this month in honor of its work to preserve the museum’s collections in the wake and aftermath of Hurricane Rita in September 2005.

Warren Perrin, chairman of the board of directors at the museum, said he did not know of the grant before getting a call about it.

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“It was a total surprise. I was called by the president Terry Davis of the American Association of State and Local History. She just gave me the news that only one museum was selected in Louisiana. I don’t know who nominated the museum. Apparently, they did a search through all the different museums in the state and they suggested us,” Perrin said.

The Acadian Museum joins the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum in Biloxi, Miss., as recipients of the grant.

Dr. Libby O’Connell, chief historian and senior vice president, corporate outreach for the History Channel, praised the museum for its efforts during the storm.

“The work of the Acadian Museum is a stellar example of how a dedicated staff, volunteers and active community members can work together to help save the valuable documents and artifacts our local museums hold,” O’Connell said.

“The History Channel is delighted to be able to honor the Acadian Museum. We hope this grant will draw attention to the on-going need to support museums and history organizations in hurricane-affected areas as they continue to rebuild.”

When Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast, water inundated the town, flooding homes, schools and businesses. The museum was one of those structures that sat in water that year.

“We had about 2-and-a-half feet of water. It devastated our collection of materials in one room where we had it close to the floor,” Perrin said.

The museum was unable to salvage some items such as books, DVDs, VHS tapes and genealogy information. Other items were able to be saved thanks to a National Guard truck allowing volunteers into the museum after the storm. Fortunately, Perrin said, none of what was thrown away was irreplaceable.

“We’ve been able to replace most of it. We’re still getting updates on genealogies,” he said.

The museum has received other grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State Archives. Through grants such as these, the Acadian Museum has been able to repair its floors and roof.

“We’re told that there are no strings attached to the $3,500. We have an executive committee that is going to give it some thought and see what our priorities are,” Perrin said.

“We’re hoping to use this not for physical improvements but for future exhibits and projects.”

Perrin said receiving the grant award demonstrates that people from other states have concern for the areas that went through the damage and destruction.

“It was a very heart-warming moment because we have so many people that worked hard to restore not only our town, but our museum. It’s a nice recognition,” he said.