Brentwood

Brentwood combines sporting opportunities with insights into the community’s history. Brentwood State Park offers baseball and soccer fields; the Modern Times Schoolhouse tells the story of a utopian settlement and early education. Also part of the story is the Sisters of St. Joseph complex, with its distinctive architecture and significance to social history and education. When choosing a destination, you can weigh whether sports or history will play a greater role in your trip.

Sports at Brentwood State Park

Brentwood State Park is a 52-acre sports facility with baseball and soccer fields. The facility focuses on two specific sports, making it a clear point of interest for travelers who would like to include sports in their time in Brentwood. It is open from 8:00 a.m. until sunset. Keep these hours in mind when planning a visit to the park.

The Modern Times Schoolhouse and Early Education

The octagonal Modern Times Schoolhouse was built in 1857 as part of the utopian settlement of Modern Times, which was located in what is now Brentwood. Its design and history make the building a distinctive subject for anyone interested in the area’s past. Today, the Schoolhouse is a museum and educational resource where students and visitors can learn about the history of the Modern Times community and early education in Brentwood.

Sisters of St. Joseph: Architecture and Social History

The Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse is located at 1725 Brentwood Road in Brentwood, Suffolk County. Its association with the Sisters of St. Joseph makes the complex significant to social history and education. The complex includes academy buildings, a central chapel, a motherhouse, and a novitiate and college building. These different building designations offer a glimpse of the components of the complex without reducing it to a single structure.

The Motherhouse includes the elaborately designed Sacred Heart Chapel, in the Romanesque Revival and Byzantine Revival styles. The chapel thus adds a distinct architectural dimension to the history of the complex. For your thematic choices, it offers a contrast with the Modern Times Schoolhouse: the Schoolhouse focuses on a utopian community and early education, while the Sisters of St. Joseph complex connects to social history and education, as well as the chapel’s architecture.

Preserving the Community’s History

The Brentwood Historical Society also offers insights into local history. Its historical lecture series included more than a hundred talks about places and people from the community’s history. Since its reestablishment in 2012, the society has worked to preserve and mark historical sites and buildings. These include places and buildings with historical value of their own or a connection to the community’s history and development.

For more destinations to consider: North Babylon, East Hampton, Hauppauge, Islandia, Shelter Island Heights, Smithtown, Commack and Amagansett.

For the broader travel overview: Suffolk.