Historic Delaware Period Homes | Historic Odessa Foundation

Flowers in from of the barn at Historic Odessa

Explore Historic Odessa

Explore our Property | Grounds & Gardens | Museum Collection

Upcoming Events

Dog Agility Event: Learn. Play. Connect.

October 3, 2026 | 10:00am to 12:00pm

Bring your experienced or inexperienced canine friend to an introductory dog agility event set up in the backyard of the National Historic Register Wilson Warner House where participants learn some of the basics on how to build basic obedience and awareness with their dog.

2026 Mahjong Mania

October 5, 2026 | 10:00am to 4:00pm

Mahjong Mania comes to Historic Odessa!

2026 Fall Homeschool Day

October 9, 2026 | 9:00am to 1:00pm

Join us for a school tour sampler designed just for homeschoolers. Take your family back in time to explore the 18th century in colonial Odessa. Our site offers a unique and well-documented picture of early American life in our interactive, hands-on educational workshops.

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News Spotlight

Raise a stein fo the 13th annual Odessa Brewfest

Blending craft beer, history and America's 250th anniversary

Historic Odessa Brewfest returns Sept. 12, 2026, bringing together more than 50 breweries, live music on two stages, historical demonstrations and thousands of visitors on the grounds of the Wilson-Warner House in Odessa, Delaware. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, the event celebrates both contemporary craft brewing and the rich history of one of Delaware's best-preserved colonial towns.

From the Museum 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 & 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