Sleepy Hollow

“Sleepy Hollow,” y’all!!!

I’ll bet you think this is going to be another post about Edgar Allan Poe. Not today!

“Sleepy Hollow” is one of my earliest childhood favorite Halloween stories. I remember falling in love with the idea of the headless horseman at the young age of probably about five years old. Don’t get me wrong; the story scared me a little bit. Especially when I would be in a small town visiting my grandmother, I could hear horse hooves clacking on the dusty roads. It did give me a few moments of pause, especially at twilight. As I got older, I still liked the idea of “Sleepy Hollow.” I mean, how creepy is it? The story itself subtly unfolds more as the reader ages.

Clearly, I’m not alone since American author, Washington Irving (1783 – 1859) wrote his gothic story. There have been numerous movies, a few TV series, and even a Broadway musical based on it. So, I think it’s safe to say it remains an American favorite. Let’s dig into some of the versions and some of the history. And, of course you know, I had to give you y’all a YouTube version to add to your Halloween playlists.

Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow

It’s time for a short history lesson. “Sleepy Hollow,” or as Washington Irving originally named it, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” was a short story in a book with thirty-four other essays or short stories. It was titled, “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” This book was first published in 1819, and also contained Irving’s now well-known story, “Rip Van Winkle.”

A personal observation about Washington Irving is that he clearly had fun with names, like Crayon for a writer and Brom Bones for the hulky character in “Sleepy Hollow.” Who doesn’t love the main character, Ichabod Crane?

Short Summary “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”:

The story is set in 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (in present-day Westchester County, New York) in a glen there known as Sleepy Hollow. A helpful but extremely superstitious schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane hears a story about a restless ghost, the “Galloping Hessian of the Hollow.” Ichabod desires to date eighteen-year-old, Katrina Van Tassel, the sole child of a wealthy farmer. It seems Ichabod desires the Van Tassel wealth, and marriage is his way to get it. Ichabod competes with Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt for Miss Katrina’s affections. Then one fateful night, Ichabod encounters the headless horseman. The plow horse he’d been riding is found calmly eating grass the next morning, but Ichabod has disappeared from the town. As readers, we don’t know if Brom Bones was pretending to be the horseman to scare Ichabod off or if it was the real ghost. In the end, Brom and Katrina marry, and there is speculation that Ichabod ran off to New York and became a lawyer.

I think the ending is pure genius on Washington Irving’s part. He leaves it up to the reader to decide Ichabod’s ultimate fate. Well played, Mr. Irving! After forty years, I still go back and forth. “The horseman got him. Wait, no! Brom Bones scared him off. Wait, maybe the headless Hessian has a new head!”

What do you think happened in the end?

Sleepy Hollow, New York

Sleepy Hollow is a real village in New York State! I haven’t ever been, but from all the videos and pictures, I would love to see it with my own eyes. I’m not going to pretend to know much about the area. It looks amazing from my armchair travel and viewing pictures, some of which I will share below! The village of Sleepy Hollow offers haunted hey rides, cemetery tours, historical tours, and self-guided tours as well. Seems like they have a little bit of something for everyone. If anyone has been and would like to share stories or recommendations about the area for tourists, please do so in the comments.

Dutch Church

Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse

We also found a tourism video from 2019. Should anyone be heading that way this Halloween season, it might be helpful.

Sleepy Hollow Movies

The list of movies about Sleepy Hollow is longer than I’d originally thought. Thanks, Wikipedia (source listed below). I honestly only remembered there being a few, but as usual, I was mistaken. How many have you seen?

I love the 1949 animated film version of Disney’s, “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.” It brings back fond childhood memories. There is another version I adore that Disney was a part of, and that is the Tim Burton film featuring Johnny Depp. This film was nothing like I’d expected, and yet it was. Confession: Yes, I’m a big Tim Burton, and Johnny Depp fan! I expected the slightly darker theme and weirdness but not quite how the film, “Sleepy Hollow,” was put together. It ended up being a pleasant surprise.

I can’t blame my love of Gothic literature and movies on Disney, but they did have an influence.

The “Sleepy Hollow” TV Series

Are there any “left tenants” out there? I know it’s supposed to be lieutenant, but I adore how Ichabod Crane pronounced it in the series. “Sleepy Hollow,” aired from September 16, 2013, through March 31, 2017 (four seasons), and is loosely based on Washington Irving’s story. It was a guilty pleasure. I enjoyed the plots within plots, but it kind of went off base toward its end. Still, for the time it aired, it was fun. Not for the little kids, but my teenagers tolerated it well.

If you haven’t seen the series, I won’t spoil it for you. I liked how there were some familiar names of characters and some similar-ish folks involved, but there were other new characters added and an original twist on the storyline(s). And John Noble’s presence did have a throwback feel to his time on the”Fringe” series. If you enjoy a bit of the wonky, strange, and mysterious, then I think you might enjoy it. It has sixty-two episodes; get comfortable and snack accordingly.

Broadcasting in countries outside the United States was acquired through various companies. I believe the Wikipedia link for the Sleepy Hollow TV series will be helpful to folks outside the US.

Thanks for spending time with us!

Some final thoughts: First, we’re so glad you stopped by.

Next, if you want to read on, we have some other creepy posts you might enjoy, like “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe or “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Poe. If you enjoyed this post, these others might be right up your alley as well.

Lastly, we hope to see you again soon.