Brentwood is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 62,387 at the 2020 Census, making it the most populous CDP in Suffolk County and on all of Long Island outside of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

Early history

In 1844, the area was established as Thompson Station and Suffolk Station, two new stations on the expansion of the Main Line of the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

. On March 21, 1851, it became the utopian community named Modern Times. The colony was established on of land by

Josiah Warren Josiah Warren (; June 26, 1798 – April 14, 1874) was an American Reformism (historical), social reformer, inventor, musician, businessman, and philosopher. He is regarded as the first American Philosophical anarchism, philosophical anarchist ...

and

Stephen Pearl Andrews Stephen Pearl Andrews (March 22, 1812 – May 21, 1886) was an American libertarian socialist, individualist anarchist, linguist, political philosopher, and outspoken Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. Life Andrews was born ...

. In 1864, it was renamed Brentwood after the town of

Brentwood, Essex Brentwood is a town in Essex, England, in the London metropolitan area, London commuter belt 20 miles (30 km) north-east of Charing Cross and close to the M25 motorway. The population of the built-up area was 55,340 in 2021. Brentwood is a t ...

, in England. By contract, all the land in the colony was bought and sold at cost, with being the maximum allowable lot size. The community was said to be based on the idea of

individual sovereignty Self-ownership, also known as sovereignty of the individual or individual sovereignty, is the concept of property in one's own person, expressed as the moral or natural right of a person to have bodily integrity and be the exclusive controller ...

and individual responsibility. Individuals were encouraged to pursue their self-interest as they saw fit. All products of labor were considered

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental Capacity (law), legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which is owned by a state entity, and from Collective ownership ...

. The community had a local private

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

based upon labor exchange in order to trade goods and services (''see

Mutualism (economic theory) Mutualism is an anarchist school of thought and economic theory that advocates for workers' control of the means of production, a free market made up of individual artisans, sole proprietorships and workers' cooperatives, and occupation and u ...

''). All land was private property, with the exception of

alley An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...

s which were initially considered

common property Common ownership refers to holding the assets of an organization, enterprise, or community indivisibly rather than in the names of the individual members or groups of members as common property. Forms of common ownership exist in every economic ...

but later converted to private property. Initially, no system of authority existed in the colony; there were no courts, jails or police. This appears to have given some credence to Warren's theories that the most significant cause of violence in society was most attributable to policies and law which did not allow complete individuality in person and property. However, the modest population of the colony might be considered a factor in this characteristic. The

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, as well as new residents that did not share the colony's philosophy, are said to have contributed to its eventual dissolution. Almost all of the original buildings that existed in Modern Times have been destroyed, aside from two Octagon houses, the original schoolhouse and a residence.

Modern-day Brentwood

During the first half of the 20th century, Brentwood was home to the Ross Health Resort Onehtah, managed by Dr. William H. Ross. Onehtah was a place where a person could escape the pollution of the city. It was thought that the smell of

pine needle A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

s brought a person good health. Brentwood is the site of

Pilgrim State Hospital Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, formerly known as Pilgrim State Hospital, is a state-run psychiatric hospital located in Brentwood, New York. Nine months after its official opening in 1931, the hospital's patient population was 2,018, as compared wit ...

(once one of the world's largest hospitals and

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, mood, emotion, and behavior. Initial psychiatric assessment of ...

institutions), now known as

Pilgrim Psychiatric Center Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, formerly known as Pilgrim State Hospital, is a state-run psychiatric hospital located in Brentwood, New York. Nine months after its official opening in 1931, the hospital's patient population was 2,018, as compared wi ...

. A portion of the psychiatric center was converted into the

Brentwood State Park Brentwood State Park is a state park and athletic field complex located in the hamlet of Brentwood in Suffolk County, New York, United States. History Brentwood State Park occupies land that was once part of the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center. ...

athletic field complex, which officially opened in 2009. Brentwood's Centennial Celebration was on June 16–17, 1950. The 150th anniversary of the community was commemorated on May 9–11, 2007. Brentwood High School has a nationally-recognized boys soccer team that won national championship in 2019.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

, there were 62,387 people, 12,580 households, and 10,894 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 13,039 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 18.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 16.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.11%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 5.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 64.3% of the population. At the 2020 American Community Survey the Latino population was: 27.7%

Salvadoran Salvadorans (), also known as Salvadorians, are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvadoran diaspora, particularly in the United States, with smalle ...

, 11.1% Puerto Rican, 7.3% Dominican, 4.2%

Ecuadorian Ecuadorians () are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

, 3.3%

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

, 2.9%

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

. There were 12,580 households, out of which 46.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.4% were non-families. 9.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.23 and the average family size was 4.19. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $68,314, and the median income for a family was $57,047. Males had a median income of $31,022 versus $25,946 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $15,833. About 7.5% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School district

Brentwood is located entirely within the boundaries of the Brentwood Union Free School District. As such, all children who reside within Brentwood and attend public schools go to Brentwood's schools. The Brentwood Union Free School District is composed of eleven elementary schools, four middle schools, one freshman center, and two high schools.

Library district

Brentwood is located entirely within the boundaries of the Brentwood Library District.

Emergency services

Brentwood is protected by the Brentwood Fire Department, a

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respo ...

. The department provides emergency fire rescue service to those within the political boundaries of the Brentwood Fire District. The area of responsibility spans and covers the areas of Brentwood, North Bay Shore, and Baywood. The department does not provide

Emergency Medical Service Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to ...

, which is instead provided by Brentwood Legion Ambulance, a volunteer ambulance department. Brentwood Legion Ambulance operates within the fire district borders. The Brentwood Fire Department and Brentwood Legion Ambulance work closely together to protect and serve those within their community.

Brentwood Fire Department

The Brentwood Fire Department was started in 1898 when local residents banded together to combat brush and forest fires that threatened their homes and farm land. On August 28, 1899, land was purchased from Mrs. Elvira S. Studley and the Brentwood Fire District was incorporated. The Department was first known as the Brentwood Hook and Ladder Company. A firehouse was built in 1900 and a used fire apparatus was purchased from the Islip Fire Department. In 1926, the department was reorganized and Theodore Freund was elected as the first Fire Chief. On March 30, 1928, the original firehouse burned down and many records were destroyed. The old building was replaced with a two-story brick house on the same site which is still in use today as the department gym. In 1932, the name "Brentwood Fire Department" was formally adopted and in 1937, the hamlet's first fire hydrants were installed and the fire district's political boundaries were enlarged a year later. In 1955, a new fire house was built on Fourth Street, around the corner from the old firehouse. The Brentwood Fire Department continues to serve the residents of the Brentwood community, answering an average of 1,500 calls a year. The Brentwood Fire Department is regularly recognized as one of the busiest fire departments in Suffolk County. The Brentwood Fire Department is part of the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services (FRES) system. It holds department identifier number 3-2-0. The District is governed by an elected five-member Board of Fire Commissioners (Board). The Board is responsible for the overall financial management of the District, including establishing policies and procedures to ensure that assets are properly safeguarded. Additionally, the Board is responsible for approving an annual budget to ensure the District's resources are efficiently used. The District Treasurer is the District's chief fiscal officer, appointed by the Board, and is responsible for the receipt, custody, disbursement, and accounting of District funds. The District's total expenditures for 2010 were approximately $5.8 million. Firehouses within the district include Quanahasset Engine Company #1, Pines Engine Company #2, Ames & Elliott R.A.C. Company #3, Sagtikos Engine Company #4, Central Engine Company #5 and Edgewood Engine Company #6. There is also a Hook and Ladder Company #1 and the Fire Prevention Company #9.

Brentwood Legion Ambulance

Brentwood Legion Ambulance was founded and established by William J.A. Seymour in 1959. That year he was seriously injured after being involved in an automobile collision in Brentwood. It took almost two hours for an ambulance to arrive from a neighboring town, as Brentwood lacked any ambulance services. As a result, Mr. Seymour ended up being driven to the hospital in a private vehicle despite having sustained serious injury. Mr. Seymour recognized that this was a problem affecting his neighborhood, so he decided that changes needed to be made. That year, Mr. Seymour gathered members from the American Legion’s Joseph Loeffler Post 1006, based in Brentwood. The ‘Legion’ portion of the department’s name is to honor the dedication of the members from the local American Legion Post that played a monumental part in establishing the ambulance service. Mr. Seymour and the members of the American Legion Post together were no more than 25 volunteers, giving their time to help their neighbors. They purchased a 1948 Cadillac hearse and converted it into an ambulance. Over the course of over 50 years, the Brentwood Legion Ambulance has expanded to over 250 members from all across Long Island, New York. The department has made upgrades to state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles since obtaining their first ambulance from 1948 all those years ago.

Transportation

Road

The Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) passes through the northernmost portion of the hamlet, while the

Long Island Motor Parkway The Long Island Motor Parkway, also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway, Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, or Motor Parkway, was a limited-access parkway on Long Island, New York, United States. It was the first highway designed for automobile use only. Th ...

forms part of its northern border. The

Sagtikos State Parkway The Sagtikos State Parkway (known colloquially as "the Sag") is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkway in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Island, New York (state), New York, in the United S ...

also runs through and serves the hamlet, while

New York State Route 111 New York State Route 111 (NY 111) is a state highway located in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It runs north–south for through the towns of Islip and Smithtown, connecting NY 27A in the town seat of Islip to ...

forms pat of its eastern border.

Rail

Brentwood is served by the Brentwood station on the

Ronkonkoma Branch The Ronkonkoma Branch is a rail service operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the U.S. state of New York. On LIRR maps and printed schedules, the "Ronkonkoma Branch" includes trains running along the railroad's Main Line from Hicks ...

of the

Bus

The Brentwood LIRR station serves as a hub for the following Suffolk Transit buses, which serve the hamlet:System Map
/ref> *4: Amityville LIRR station – Smith Haven Mall *5:

Babylon LIRR station Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-sp ...

– Smith Haven Mall *7:

Bay Shore Bay Shore is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Islip, New York, United States. It is situated on the South Shore of Long Island, adjoining the Great South Bay. The population of the CDP was 29,244 at the time of the 2020 ...

– Northport *11: Bay Shore –

Hauppauge Hauppauge ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Islip and Smithtown in western Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island. Its population in 2022 was estimated at 20,401 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the official ...

*58: Brentwood LIRR station – Riverhead LIRR station

Notable people

EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is an initialism for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. E Double) and Parrish Smith ("PMD" a.k.a. Parrish Mi ...

, hip-hop pioneers, both members raised in Brentwood *

Robert Gallucci Robert L. Gallucci (born February 11, 1946) is an American academic and diplomat, who formerly worked as president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He previously served as dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Se ...

(1946–), former US Ambassador at Large (1994–96), currently Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service,

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

(graduated Brentwood HS in 1962) He is currently the President of the John D & Catherine MacArthur Foundation * Andrew Jean-Baptiste (1992–), player for the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

Mitch Kupchak Mitchell Kupchak (born May 24, 1954) is an American professional basketball executive and retired player. He is the former president of basketball operations and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

(1954–), athlete and general manager of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

* Hector LaSalle an American lawyer and jurist. He is the current presiding judge of the New York State Supreme Court. *

Frank Lopardo Frank Lopardo (born 23 December 1957) is an American operatic tenor who was born in Brentwood, New York. Early in his career he specialized in the repertoire of Mozart and Rossini and later transitioned to the works of Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti ...

, opera singer * James Kyrle MacCurdy (1875 - 1923) was a theater actor and playwright *

Craig Mack Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1970 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his tenure with Bad Boy Records, during which he released his 1994 single " Flava in Ya Ear" (1994), which peaked within the ' ...

(1971–2018), hip-hop musician *

Dave Martinez David Martinez (born September 26, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is the manager for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the bench coach for the Tampa Bay ...

(1964-), manager of Washington Nationals and former outfielder for Chicago Cubs *

Buddy McGirt James Walter "Buddy" McGirt (born January 17, 1964) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1997, and has since worked as a boxing trainer. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF junior ...

(1964–), boxing champion and trainer *

Lester Quiñones Lester Quiñones ( ; born November 16, 2000) is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League ...

(2000-),

player for

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

Jef Raskin Jef Raskin (born Jeff Raskin; March 9, 1943 – February 26, 2005) was an American human–computer interface expert who conceived and began leading the Macintosh project at Apple in the late 1970s. Early life and education Jef Raskin was bo ...

(Jeffrey Frank Raskin, 1943–2005), widely acknowledged as the "Father of the

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

", computer scientist and expert on the human/computer interface, inventor, conductor, artist, writer and businessman (graduated Brentwood HS 1960) * Ray Reid (1960-), former UConn and Southern Connecticut State University's men's soccer head coach, led UConn to 1 NCAA division 1 national title and SCSU to 3 division 2 titles *

Neil Raymond Ricco Neil Raymond Ricco (born 1953), formerly known as Noel Rico, is a Spanish-Italian American poet and writer known for his works featured in publications by Nicolás Kanellos, Eileen Myles and Mike Marqusee. Ricco was an early member of the Nuyorica ...

(1953–), poet and writer *

Jai Rodriguez Jai Rodriguez is an American actor and musician best known as the culture guide on the Bravo network's Emmy-winning American reality television program ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''. He also co-wrote a book with the other ''Queer Eye'' ho ...

(1979–), actor and musician, born in Brentwood

References

Bibliography

* *
Brentwood History Collection Photo
an
Brentwood History Collection Photo
*
Brentwood History Collection Photo
*Freeman, Christian. 1852. Letter from Rev. B. F. Bowles. Brentwood History Collectio
Part 1Part 2
an
Part 3
*Martin, James Joseph. Men Against the State: The Expositors of Individualist Anarchism in America, 1827-1908. Colorado Springs, Colo., Ralph Myles, 1970. *Spurlock, John Calvin. “Anarchy and Community at Modern Times, 1851–1863,” ''Communal Societies'' 3 (1983), 29–47. * Wunderlich, Roger. ''Low Living and High Thinking at Modern Times, N.Y.'' Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1992.

External links

Brentwood Chamber of Commerce

Brentwood Historical Society

Long Island History: Brentwood
* * * {{authority control Census-designated places in New York (state) Islip (town), New York Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in Suffolk County, New York Populated places established in 1851 Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York 1851 establishments in New York (state)