The BARBARA H is the oldest and least modified sternwheel towboat still operating on the nation's waterways.

Some interesting facts about the boat...

• The BARBARA H is the last operating sternwheel towboat with its original wooden cabin.
• All Diesel sternwheel towboats had engines located toward the front of the vessels, and were "direct-reversing" engines. The BARBARA H is the last remaining towboat with this original configuration.
• The BARBARA H is the last sternwheel towboat to carry her original "life boards". Although now mostly for decoration, life boards were the precursor to modern life rings and life jackets, and were common equipment on all riverboats from the 1890s to the 1930s.
• The boat has a 3,000 gallon Diesel fuel tank, and a 150 gallon fresh water tank.
• The BARBARA H has 5 rudders. Three in front of the paddlewheel, known as steering or flanking rudders, and two behind, known as monkey rudders.
• The steel hull was replated in 1958 at Portsmouth Docking Company, Portsmouth, OH.
• The vessel is powered by a 1940 Fairbanks-Morse Diesel engine that was installed new in 1940. It weighs about 25,000 pounds and is rated at 160-hp at 400 RPM.
• The BARBARA H has 250 gallons of compressed air tanks which are mainly used to start the Diesel engine. The compressed air also powers the 2 steam whistles, which are original to the boat.
• For AC power the boat has a 16-KW generator, powered by a Perkins 4-108 Diesel engine. The AC power is used for navigation lights, general lighting, galley, air compressors and electric toilet.

More Historical Facts & Trivia...

• As the STANDARD, the BARBARA H towed the first gasoline barges ever handled on the Ohio River in 1923.
• During the 1937 flood the STANDARD was comandeered by the U.S. Engineers to aid in the distribution of medical supplies along flooded areas of the Ohio River above Cincinnati. A small team of rescue workers, including nurses, lived aboard the STANDARD for 2 weeks.
• At 78 consecutive years, the BARBARA H held the record for the most years of commercial towing (until 2009, when the J.S. LEWIS matched this record. The rebuilt sternwheel towboat LONE STAR ran for 55 years).
• The BARBARA H's rub-rails are made from the return flue pipes of the steam sternwheel towboat SAM CRAIG.
• The BARBARA H appears briefly in the 1985 movie remake of "The Adventures of Huck Finn", starring Pat Day and Lilian Gish.
• On the Ohio River, the boat has traveled as far north as Wheeling, WV, and as far south as Louisville, KY. The boat has also traveled to 2 state capitals: Charleston, WV, on the Kanahwa River, and Frankfort, KY, on the Kentucky River.

What's so special about being a National Historic Landmark?

Unlike "National Historic Registers" (which are very common), the National Historic Landmark designation is much more rare. National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are a separate list that is administered by the Department Of The Interior and the National Park Service. To get the NHL designation, your historic structure must meet a very strict set of qualifications, and must contain at least 90% of its original "fabric". The structure must also have a certain amount of national significance and represent a historic artifact that has changed little. These criterias are determined by professional Historians who are employed by the National Park Service. The condition of NHL structures is monitored by the National Park Service. Modification of these structures is discouraged and also monitored.

The BARBARA H was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 20, 1989 as the DONALD B (#89002458). The boat is part of a special NHL category for vessels, which is itself a rare designation. The DELTA QUEEN and BELLE OF LOUISVILLE are examples of other NHL vessels that share similar design and heritage as the BARBARA H.

Historic value aside, what would it cost to build the BARBARA H today?

With the BARBARA H being the oldest and least modified vessel of its kind remaining in the nation, its authenticity is irreplaceable, however, if you were to build a comparable vessel today, the typical cost would be about $ 1.1 million.

BARBARA H Deck Layouts