Historic Delaware Period Homes | Historic Odessa Foundation

Collins-Sharp House viewed from 2nd street

Explore Historic Odessa

Explore our Property | Grounds & Gardens | Museum Collection

Upcoming Events

2026 Spring Mahjong Mania

April 20, 2026 | 10:00am to 4:00pm

Mahjong Mania comes to Historic Odessa!

"One person’s junk is another person’s treasure!" Join Historic Odessa at the Barn (202 Main Street, Odessa) for its Annual Flea Market! Clean out your attic, basements and closets and join us for the resale shop of the year. All vendors are welcome! Each 10'x10' space is available for a $25...

ART EXHIBIT: Common Ground: Landscapes, City Views, and Quiet Rooms

Art Exhibit

April 28–June 28, 2026 | 1:00 to 4:30pm

The Historic Odessa Foundation is pleased to present the paintings of Rolando Corpus on exhibition at their Visitor Center Gallery.

View More Upcoming Events

News Spotlight

New Historic Odessa Acquisition: Philadelphia Federal Sofa

About a year ago, the Historic Odessa Foundation was able to acquire a fine federal sofa made in Philadelphia between about 1790 and 1805

From the Museum Collection

Pembroke or breakfast table

Historic Odessa Foundation

1810-1825

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 & discounted opportunities including a 10% discount on food & beverages every time you dine.

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

We look forward to seeing you on Main Street!

Debbie Buckson
Executive Director