Our Story

About Us

Barren River State Dock and Marina was established in 1966 by the State Park. The Rubrights purchased the marina in January of 2020, and have since been committed to maintaining a fun, family-friendly, environment!

A native grass prairie restoration project, near the dam, is representative of what “The Barrens” looked like to early pioneers.

Anglers, boaters, and campers are only the most recent people to enjoy the beauty and natural resources of the Barren River Region. As early as 12,000 B.C., Native Americans fished, boated, and lived along the river’s floodplain and terraces, and on the bluffs overlooking it. These people lived in small groups that moved often. Around 1,000 B.C. they moved more into farming and built more permanent settlements. By A.D. 900 farming was a way of life and archeologists refer to these farmers as the Mississippians.

Native Americans periodically burned off parts of this region, to provide grasslands that were attractive to grazing buffalo. Thus, this area without trees appeared to be “barren.” This area then came to be known as “The Barrens” to early pioneers that came to this area in the 1700s to settle and live.

The counties of Barren, Allen, and Monroe were formerly part of Green and Warren counties and were established around 1797. Originally the entire territory had been set aside for military service grants for veterans of the Revolutionary War.

Port Oliver, near the dam, was formerly called Port Oliver Ford and was the site of a brine-well field for producing table salt. Baileys Point Recreation Area was the site of an antebellum farmhouse, built by early settlers in the area, named Foster. A family cemetery remains with gravestones and stone vaults that date back to the early 1800s.

The Rubright Family

Rubright Marinas was formed in 2017 when Nate and Jim Rubright acquired Gallatin Marina in Gallatin TN. The Rubrights have since purchased 3 additional marinas and have plans to continue to expand. Ben Rubright joined Rubright Marinas as an owner when we purchased our second marina, Peninsula Marina. Jim Rubright is father to Nate and Ben. The Rubrights have lived in the southeast since 1975. We live, work and play in the same places as our customers!

Jim and Nate Rubright acquired Gallatin Marina in October of 2017. Jim, Ben, and Nate Rubright acquired Peninsula Marina and Barren River State Dock and Marina in November 2019 and January 2020. They then purchased The Boathouse at Benders Ferry in October of 2020. The Rubrights are committed to their lives in TN and developing the marinas and public use of our waterways.

Rubright Marinas highest priority is customer satisfaction. It is very important to the Rubrights to offer a safe and fun environment for everyone looking to enjoy a little lake time. We measure our progress in this area against the safety and wellbeing of our own children. Jim has 6 children, Nate has 3 children, and Ben has one son. If our children are safe and having fun, then we have achieved our goal. Rubright Marinas is dedicated to continually improving our marinas for all.

Rubright Marinas is dedicated to offering the highest quality service and products to our customers at all facilities. All properties purchased undergo an onboarding process. This process includes improvements and repairs to docks, electrical and water infrastructures, changes to Professional Culture, and employee’s focus to ensure every customer experience is the best possible. Rubright Marinas is committed to operating the best marinas in our industry. We will always take any steps necessary to achieve this goal. Rubright Marinas is aware of the growing demand for boating and marine storage. We are constantly improving and expanding our marinas to meet this demand. We encourage feedback and are here to help and listen. Unfortunately, we cannot catch everything that needs to be addressed, so we rely on our employees and customers to share any information they have.

Rubright Marinas has 4 marinas located throughout Tennessee and Kentucky. The Marinas have men’s and women’s bathrooms, ethanol free gas pumps, extensive stores including snacks, drinks, apparel, boat supplies, ice, and boat rentals.

Our fun, family-friendly atmosphere makes it easy to enjoy boating!