Welcome to the BARBARA H web site!
The BARBARA H has plied the waters of the Ohio River since 1923 - a time when steamboats were still being built, and a common sight. She is the nation's oldest operating sternwheel towboat.
I took delivery of the m/v DONALD B in December 2000. I had worked aboard a 200 passenger sternwheeler since I was 12 years old; starting as a deckhand and eventually becoming captain in 1984. I left this line of work in 1987. After moving to my new home on the Ohio River in July 2000, I had the desire to get behind the wheel again. I had been searching for an authentic sternwheel towboat and was very impressed with the DONALD B. The boat had been owned by the Brookbank family since 1939, and had been kept in very good condition. Sternwheel enthusiasts may remember seeing the DONALD B (now the BARBARA H) on the Ohio River near Maysville, Kentucky and Aberdeen, Ohio.
Thanks for visiting!
-Captain Steve & Barbara Huffman