Historic Delaware Period Homes | Historic Odessa Foundation

Flowers in from of the barn at Historic Odessa

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Upcoming Events

2025 Storybook Trees Exhibit Nov 11 - Dec 31

Christmas Event

November 11–December 31, 2025 |

The Historic Odessa Foundation celebrates classic children’s literature and a love of reading by showcasing holiday trees decorated by community and school groups. Storybook Trees for the Holidays The exhibit will run from November 11 through December 31 and will be open as part of “Christmas in...

CHRISTMAS EXHIBIT: A Jane Austen Christmas at 250

Christmas Event

November 11–December 31, 2025 | 10:00am to 4:00pm

Commemorate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth while visiting the Historic Odessa Foundation’s National Historic Register Wilson-Warner House this holiday season to tour A Jane Austen Christmas at 250 exhibit. Austen’s beloved novels with the iconic titles of Sense and Sensibility, Pride...

Twinklefest

Christmas Event

November 22, 2025 | 1:00 to 5:30pm

Buy Tickets Now Please join us for the first Annual Twinklefest! Saturday, November 22, 2025, 1:00 pm – 5:30 pm on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark Corbit-Sharp House, Main St., Odessa, Delaware. This exciting family-friendly event kicks off the holiday season packed with fun for young...

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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

Writing box

Historic Odessa Founation, gift of Martin and Joan Mason

1870-1910

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