Overbrook, Delaware

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Overbrook, Delaware
Unincorporated community
Overbrook is located in Delaware
Overbrook
Overbrook
Coordinates: 38°46′03″N 75°12′54″W / 38.76750°N 75.21500°W / 38.76750; -75.21500Coordinates: 38°46′03″N 75°12′54″W / 38.76750°N 75.21500°W / 38.76750; -75.21500
CountryUnited States
StateDelaware
CountySussex
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code(s)302
GNIS feature ID216171[1]

Overbrook is an unincorporated community and former village in Sussex County, Delaware, United States.

Geography[]

Overbrook radiates from the intersection of Delaware Route 1 and Cave Neck Road between Lewes and Milton.[2] in the Broadkill Hundred.

History[]

Overbrook in Sussex County, Delaware, in 1902

Nineteenth century[]

Burton's Chapel A.M.E Church was built on the "road to the oyster rocks of the Broadkill River" in 1870.[3]

Overbrook was a post village on the Queen Anne's Railroad,[4] which was said to be famous for its excursions in the 1890s.[5] Overbrook's post office opened September 10, 1899, with George L. Short serving as Overbrook's first (and only) postmaster.[6]

In April 1899, a train near Overbrook collided with a small herd of cattle, killing the animals.[7]

Overbrook's population was 25 in 1900.[8]

Twentieth century[]

Overbrook was the site of a branch of the fraternal order of Junior Mechanics, an anti-Catholic organization. The Overbrook order was founded on April 9, 1901, and at it founding, the group had 29 members.[9]

Overbrook's post office closed on September 15, 1914,[6] but the rail station continued to operate for another decade. The Queen Anne's Rail line was discontinued and the station closed in 1924.[5]

In 1921, Overbrook was the site of a selenosis epidemic in area cattle. The outbreak, at that time called "Blind Staggers", was noted in state newspapers.[10] That same year, the Wilmington Journal noted the fire at the A.L. Hill general store in Overbrook.[11]

In the 1930s, Overbrook was noted for its ardent fox-hunters. These fox hunters were reportedly on foot or in vehicles, and in that era, the Overbrook fox hunts were particularly loud and long.[5]

Twenty-first century[]

In 2016, Sussex County officials rejected a plan to rezone 114 acres of rural farmland in the Overbrook area; the development would have been called Overbrook Town Center.[12] This decision was upheld by officials in 2021,[13] after a public vote in 2018.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ "Overbrook". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ^ Delaware Department of Transportation (2008). Delaware Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation.
  3. ^ https://archivesfiles.delaware.gov/ebooks/The_Churches_of_Delaware.pdf
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1904), A Gazetteer of Delaware (Issue 230 of Geological Survey bulletin), U.S. Government Printing Office
  5. ^ a b c Federal Writers' Project (2013), The WPA Guide to Delaware: The First State, Trinity University Press (reprint), p. 407, ISBN 9781595342072
  6. ^ a b Bounds, Harvey Cochran (1938). A Postal History of Delaware. New York: Press of Kells. pp. 63, 101. ISBN 978-1-59534-207-2. OCLC 881567649.
  7. ^ "Peninsula News Paragraphs". Wilmington Evening Journal. 1899-04-10. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  8. ^ Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition. J. R. Gray & Company. 1902. p. 84.
  9. ^ "Junior Mechanics". Wilmington Delaware Gazette And State Journal. Feb 20, 1902. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  10. ^ "Blind Staggers in Milford Neck". Wilmington Evening Journal. 1921-08-31. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  11. ^ "Fire Destroys Sussex Store". Wilmington Evening Journal. 1921-01-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  12. ^ Morrison, James. "Sussex Co. Council says 'no' Overbrook Town Center project rezoning". Delaware First Media. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  13. ^ "Sussex Council Denies Modified Plans for Overbrook Town Center". 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  14. ^ Goebel, Taylor (2018-04-04). "Overbrook Town Center: What to know about the revote". Retrieved 2021-08-08.
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