Historic Delaware Period Homes | Historic Odessa Foundation

Explore Historic Odessa

Explore our Property | Grounds & Gardens | Museum Collection

Upcoming Events

ART EXHIBIT: Bayard Taylor Berndt (1908-1987); Paintings from Private Collections

Art Exhibit

July 1–September 7, 2025 |

Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to rediscover the colorful Brandywine Valley paintings of the 20th century artist Bayard Taylor Berndt (1908-1987) on exhibit for the first time from private collections at the Historic Odessa Visitor Center from Tuesday, July 1 to Sunday, September 7, 2025. This art exhibit highlights the recent gift to the HOF collection of a 1971 Berndt painting depicting the HOF’s National Historic Register Pump House of 1770’s.

Save the Date: 12th Annual Odessa Brewfest

September 6, 2025 | 12:00pm

The annual Odessa Brewfest comes to historic Odessa on Saturday, September 6th, 2025. All attendees have access to food & merchandise vendors, live bands, sponsor tables, and more. Your ticket to the Odessa Brewfest gets you unlimited sampling of beer during the full duration of the festival.

Harvest Time

Saturdays at the Hearth

September 13, 2025 | 10:00am to 3:00pm

“Harvest Time” Explore the Collins-Sharp House and working kitchen garden with your guide as our costumed interpreters capture the sights and flavors of authentic 18th century cooking. Savor the aromas of dishes cooked over and open fire using the tools, recipes and techniques commonly found in...

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News Spotlight

Corbit-Sharp House Virtual Tour

The remarkable Corbit-Sharp House in Odessa is considered the finest example of Georgian architecture in Delaware. In this Virtual Tour, explore the house and collection with Debbie Buckson, Executive Director of the Historic Odessa Foundation.

From the Collection

Table with one drawer

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

1710-1735

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