Overbrook, Delaware

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]