Brent History
Brent is an area along Kentucky 8 and the Ohio River just south of the I-275 bridge. The area may best be known for the Brent Ferry which carried passengers to Coney Island Ohio from Coney Island Station, the original name for Brent, for years prior to the opening of the I-275 bridge.
The citizens wanted the community to be known as South Parker's Grove, but the Post Office refused that name. During Colonel Philip Brent Spence's tenure as postmaster of Newport, federal postal officials told Spence to pick a new name for the small community along the Ohio River in Campbell County called Coney Island Station. A ferry operated from there to the Coney Island amusement park, which was just across the river on the Ohio side. Both Coney Island, Ohio and Coney Island Station, Ky. however, had post offices and the similarity of names was causing confusion. Philip chose Brent, the name of his son and father, Brent Spence, a native of Ireland and the first to come to America.
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The Kentucky Post, 18 Nov 1914, page 2
Two towns with conflicting names-Coney Island O and Coney Island Station KY. a Government trying to expedite the working arrangements of the mailing system and a loving father are responsible for the place near Ft Thomas being known as Brent instead of Coney Island Station.
In 1884 when Philip B Spence was Postmaster of Newport, the Government had considerable trouble with mail for the Ohio town becoming confused with that of the Kentucky municipality and as a result asked Postmaster Spence to suggest a short and pleasant name for the town then known as Coney Island Station. Fatherly love then exercised its influence and as a result Attorney Brent Spence of Newport, has as his namesake one of Kentucky's thriving little villages.