Historic Delaware Period Homes | Historic Odessa Foundation

Collins-Sharp House viewed from 2nd street

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Upcoming Events

Celebrating 25 years of Honoring Delaware Individual Artists with the Delaware Division of the Arts

Art Exhibit

September 19–October 26, 2025 |

The Historic Odessa Foundation proudly presents Award Winners XXV, a milestone exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of showcasing the Delaware Division of the Arts' Individual Artist Fellowship recipients. The museum is honored to become one of only three venues to host this wonderful art exhibition.

Celebrate Christmas with us at Historic Odessa

2025 Storybook Trees Registration

Christmas Event

September 19, 2025 | 10:00am

To reserve a tree for the 2025 Holiday Tour season or for more information on creating a tree with your family, club, or school visit, please download and submit the registration form via fax or email.

2018 Storybook Trees Registration Ends November 2nd

2025 Storybook Trees Registration

Christmas Event

September 20–October 31, 2025 | 10:00am to 4:30pm

The Historic Odessa Foundation celebrates classic children’s literature and a love of reading by showcasing holiday trees decorated by community and school groups.

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News Spotlight

Join Us for the First Annual Twinklefest

Kick off the holiday season in magical, old-fashioned style at the first-ever Twinklefest — a fun-filled, family-friendly celebration set in the heart of Historic Odessa. Enjoy a full day of holiday cheer, interactive exhibits, live entertainment, crafts, and festive treats for guests of all ages.

From the Collection

Silhouettes of Elizabeth March and John Janvier

Historic Odessa Founadtion

1798

Welcome to our colonial village!

This tranquil hamlet of tree-lined streets and National Register historic homes was once a thriving grain shipping port and vital Mid-Atlantic transportation and trade hub of the 18th and 19th centuries.

At its economic height, Odessa, or Cantwell’s Bridge as it was originally named, shipped out hundreds of thousands of bushels of wheat and other goods annually from the banks of the Appoquinimink River. Locally grown and made products found their way to Philadelphia, down to the southern colonies, and across the Atlantic to Europe. The town’s slow decline came with the advent of the railroad in 1855, and America’s expansion westward.

By the early 20th century, Odessa was a mere shadow of its former prosperity. That is until 1938, when prominent Delaware preservationist H. Rodney Sharp (1880-1968) purchased Odessa’s Corbit mansion — today’s Corbit-Sharp House (c. 1774), a National Historic Landmark and National Park Service Network to Freedom site — beginning a three-decade-long, full-scale colonial revival of old Odessa and its architectural gems.

Mr. Sharp gave his beloved Corbit house to Winterthur Museum In 1958 and they operated the Odessa properties until 2003 when they were permanently closed.

In 2005, The Historic Odessa Foundation was incorporated continuing Sharp’s ground-breaking work, preserving and interpreting the past through tours, exhibitions and living history programs for children and adults.

I encourage you to use our website to plan your visit. Stroll our tree-lined streets. Tour our beautifully restored 18th and 19 century houses. Wander through picturesque gardens. Dine at the historic Cantwell’s Tavern.

And I invite you to consider becoming a Member of the Historic Odessa Foundation. Your Membership will entitle you to a full year of free and discounted opportunities including a 10% discount on food and beverages every time you dine.

Help us ensure that our educational programming and preservation initiatives continue to thrive and endure.

We look forward to seeing you on Main Street!

Debbie Buckson
Executive Director