Upcoming and Current Events

Lafayette Ladle

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphal return tour of the United States that endured from July 1824 to September 1825 by viewing a rare artifact from his visit on display at the National Historic Register Wilson-Warner House.

Becoming One: Spirit, Nature, & Form The Art of Deborah Johnson

Confront the fine art created by the multi-talented Magnolia, Delaware artist Deborah Johnson straight from her collections at her Falling Leaf Studio. The Historic Odessa Foundation is pleased to exhibit a selection of her glass works, tapestries, paintings, Shibori dyed silks, and embroideries. In works spanning over a decade, Deborah Johnson reflects on the hidden structures that unite all living things. Fractals, sacred geometry, and organic forms intertwine, revealing the rhythms and patterns that connect us to the divine and to the natural world.

EXHIBIT: My Cup Of Tea: A Collection of Teapots

The Historic Odessa Foundation, steeped in history, is delighted to exhibit a private collection of over 225 teapots, on display for the first time, at the National Historic Register, Wilson-Warner House. The My Cup of Tea exhibit, on show from Tuesday, June 3 to Sunday, August 24, 2025, expresses one teapot collector’s thirty-year fondness and appreciation of the little stout object that shows off its handle and spout.

Ceramics at Odessa: A Collections Workshop

Recent collection cataloguing efforts have introduced two experts in their respective areas to the ceramics collections: James Koterski and Keith Adams. They have agreed to participate in a collection workshop that will provide participants with an unusual opportunity to learn about and engage directly with important and interpretively beneficial objects. Accordingly, staff will bring many examples of redware, stoneware, creamware, white earthenware, Rockinghamware, and some porcelains to the Bank Building where our experts will address materials, fabrication techniques, matters of design, condition, and other aspects of identification and interpretation of 18th and 19th century wares.

The Art of Cookery

“The Art of Cookery” Explore the Collins-Sharp House with your guide as our costumed interpreters capture the sights and flavors of authentic 18th century cooking. Savor the aromas of dishes cooked over an open fire using the tools, recipes and techniques commonly found in colonial Odessa. We focus our cooking today on the abundance of vegetables and herbs found in summer gardens. Admission is included in the general tour.

HOF Celebrates Juneteenth

Dating back to 1865, a full two and a half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it was June 19th when the Union Army landed in Galveston, Texas and spread the news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Tours of the National Park Service Network to Freedom exhibit: “Freedom Seekers: the Odessa Story” will be offered free of charge; reservations are required.

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

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

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

“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 colonial Odessa. We’ll focus our cooking today on using preserved foods. Admission is included in the general tour.

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

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. The exhibition opens Friday, September 19th and runs through Sunday, October 26, 2025 in the HOF Visitor Center, featuring the exceptional talent of artists selected for their outstanding creativity and skill in their artistic disciplines.