The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow, New York, is home to America’s most famous ghost: the Headless Horseman. Made immortal by Washington Irving’s 1820 story, the legend is based on genuine reports of a phantom rider that predate the famous tale.

The Legend

According to tradition, a Hessian soldier was decapitated by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War. He was buried in the Old Dutch Church cemetery. His ghost rides at night, searching for his head, and will take another’s if he cannot find his own.

Pre-Irving Reports

Before Irving wrote his famous story, residents of the Tarrytown area reported a headless rider. Dutch colonists told tales of the restless soldier. Irving based his fiction on existing folklore.

The Sightings

Witnesses describe a black-clad rider on a powerful horse, carrying his head under his arm or not at all. He rides furiously through the night and vanishes at the bridge over the Pocantico River. The experience is terrifying.

Modern Activity

The Sleepy Hollow area remains haunted. The cemetery reports activity year-round. Visitors hear hoofbeats on still nights. Some claim to have seen the rider in the flesh.

Assessment

The Headless Horseman has become inseparable from his fictional counterpart. But the legend preceded Irving, and reports continue. Something rides through Sleepy Hollow on dark nights, headless and eternal.