Phoenix Grove

In the late 1800's and early 1900's Covington and Newport had serious air quality problems from all of the coal and wood burned in river boats, trains, homes, factories and businesses, so there sprung up any number of small resorts outside of the city.

One of these was Phoenix Grove.  It was located at what is today the junction of River Road and Rt. 8.  You may know the location as Brent, or you may know it as where I-275 crosses the Ohio River.  In the era before there were dams on the Ohio, there was a wing dam or levee at this location.  It's purpose was to channel the river waters to create easier navigation.

Phoenix Grove was established c. 1889, but it remained a private club until 1906.  It retained the services of the steamer Bonanza in the summer of 1906 to bring patrons out from the city, and renamed itself the Phoenix Fishing and Hunting Club.  By 1919, most of the original owners had died, and, in decline, the club elected to disband.  The land would be sold to the US government later that year so that the Corps of Engineers could erect a lock and dam on the Ohio.

The folks who originally established and ran the Phoenix Club also held some land further up river, at a place where there were lots of Silver Poplar Trees.  They called it Silver Grove.

from a variety of accounts in the Kentucky Post.