Overbrook is an unincorporated community and former village in Sussex County, Delaware, United States.
Overbrook, Delaware | |
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Overbrook Overbrook | |
Coordinates: 38°46′03″N 75°12′54″W / 38.76750°N 75.21500°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Delaware |
County | Sussex |
Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Area code | 302 |
GNIS feature ID | 216171[1] |
Overbrook radiates from the intersection of Delaware Route 1 and Cave Neck Road between Lewes and Milton.[2] in the Broadkill Hundred.
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]
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]
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]