Upcoming and Current Events

Here, There & Delaware: Travel Poster Prints & Illustrations of Erick Sahler

This holiday season don’t miss the graphic art exhibit, Here, There & Delaware: Travel Poster Prints & Illustrations of Erick Sahler, at the Historic Odessa Foundation Visitor Center from Tuesday, October 28th to Wednesday, December 21st, 2025.

2025 Storybook Trees Exhibit Nov 11 - Dec 31

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 Odessa” on December 6th.

CHRISTMAS EXHIBIT: A Jane Austen Christmas at 250

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 and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Northanger Abbey & Persuasion are recognized world-wide. Austen provides brief accounts of Christmas customs and traditions celebrated in Georgian England in each of her novels which provide inspiration for each room vignette. The holiday season became a...

America's Tapestry Project

The Historic Odessa Foundation and the Embroiderer’s Guild of America invites members of the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend communities and all Delawareans to celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary through participation creating a Delaware themed panel celebrating our great nation. Please stop into the HOF Visitor’s Center located in the Historic Odessa Bank and add a “stitch in time” to this national embroidery project depicting the original thirteen colonies.

2025 Demonstration: Festive Foods

Top off your holiday tour at the Collins-Sharp House as our costumed hearth cooks prepare a mouthwatering feast over a roaring fire. Enjoy the sights and aromas typically enjoyed in the 18th century during the festive holiday season.

Holiday Candlelight Tours Hosted by the Associate Curator

Continue creating family memories by participating in an exclusive evening candlelight guided tour presented by the associate curator of the Christmas exhibit, A Jane Austen Christmas at 250, at the National Historic Register, Wilson-Warner House. Come celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Enjoy hearing about the holiday customs and traditions in Georgian England while discovering the inspirations and process behind decorating each room vignette. At the end of the personal tour enjoy beverages at the National Historic Register Cantwell’s Tavern, c.1822. This event is...

2025 Candlelight Tours

You are invited to step back in time through the doors of the Historic Odessa Foundation and explore the Christmas traditions of yesteryear! Participants experience a special candlelight tour of our 2025 holiday exhibit. Additional Candlelight Tour dates include: December 9 - Reservations available December 11 - SOLD OUT! December 16 - SOLD OUT! December 18 - SOLD OUT! December 23 (with the Curator) - Reservations available December 30 - Reservations available All tours start at 6:00pm. Fun, food, and camaraderie for friends or an evening out the entire family can enjoy! Tours leave from the...