I lived in Sleepy for fifteen years. I was a proud part of the Sleepy Hollow Industrial Complex. While a captain in the fire department, we replaced our fire engine that was yellow and white with a new one that is orange and black. We have a great picture of the Horseman on the side and a flaming jack-o-lantern on the back.
Years ago at a Revolutionary War re-enactment, I met a fellow whose persona was an American dragoon, complete with horse. He tells me that every year he plays the Headless Horseman at Sleepy Hollow. Being short of stature, he is able to wear a horseman's cloak in a way that makes the top of his head look like a headless neck. Carrying a Jack-o-Lantern, apparently he scares the bejeebers out of the kids. Lo and behold, at 12.25 there is a still of the fellow I met.
@@eldorados_lost_searcher IIRC, he had a stable of horses which he used to mount the re-enactors in his unit. I watched them do a demonstration of military horsemanship at a "Burning of the Valley" event in Schoharie, NY. They all impressed me, non-rider that I am.
When I was a kid I saw that, Ichabod Crane tale. Loved it. Tarrytown wasn’t far from my Nan & Pop’s house. We were out for a ride in the country & they bought me The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I was still too little but held onto that book. It’s spooky section of the world 👻🎃🍁
Mt. Pleasant native here. Been hearing the Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I was a wee child. When I went away to college (right around the time the Johnny Depp movie was released) I used to tell people that Sleepy Hollow was a real place and no one ever believed me 🤣😂 It's a great little town surrounded by tons and tons of history and historical sites. Definitely worth a visit.
When I was a kid in the 70's, I had a Fisher Price record player and had a 45 record of the story. I'd play it every Halloween and it scared the crap out of me every time. :)
I was born in Tarrytown hospital, raised in Irvington, moved to Tarrytown, at age 17, about a quarter mile from the Washington Irving estate, worked in Elmsford evenings senior year in high school and grandparents are buried in Sleepy Hollow cemetery.
When we were young kids back in the early 70s, our dad would read this to us every Halloween, and I've been fond of the story and the legend ever since. In October of 2020, during the last few months of my dad's decline, I got to read the story to him, a memory I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. As an aside, one year my work took me through the Hudson Valley and I stopped in Sleepy Hollow to take in the history and the scenery. A stroll through the cemetery there can be a profound reminder of our mortality as the ultimate equalizer as there in that graveyard, one can find the resting places of both industrialist Andrew Carnegie and labor leader Samuel Gompers.
This morning I caught myself narrating (out loud) mundane task in THG voice 😅 “He folded the shirt……and put it…in the drawer”. Had to come over and delighted to see a new video! Thank you
I grew up in the Hudson Valley. Our 7th grade class was scheduled to take a field trip to Washington Irving's home and historical center, but it was postponed due to rain. We never did get to go, but I've driven through that area, and in the fall, it's very spooky.
As a ‘horse nut’ from childhood the prospect of riding as the ‘headless Horseman’ was a goal that almost came true when I owned a BIG black mare ( granddaughter of Secretariat) whose eerie Appaloosa white-rimmed eyes gave her a strange appearance on a good day, let alone dressed up with day-glo chalk under Black Light at a ‘haunted house’ fest.
Yeah I knew a guy that would tell everyone he was related to chingachgook. He was delusional too, believing every fictional story so he could claim descendency. Stay off drugs.
My great great great grandma’s name was Mary Van Tassel and she was from that area! What do you know about the surname, and when the family came to America? I read the name was originally Van Teixel.
When I was trick or treating one year, my brother dressed up as the headless horseman. He rode through our neighborhood until he found me. He had taught his horse to prance and rear up on command. Half quarter horse and half Tennessee Walker, Red was an impressive figure! My brother scared the dickens out of me. I ran all the way home. No more candy! I just wanted to live! 😂
Your mention of the huge tree about ten paces wide also brought back a few memories as well. If you know where to look for them, like in nearby Hartsdale, you can find a few splendid, gnarled old oak trees that easily date back to George Washington’s time. There aren’t many left and I heard earlier this year that at least one of them needed to be cut down for its own health, but they are about as enormous and huge as the description given in Andre’s capture.
I grew up about 20 miles from sleepy hollow, my wife and i went on our first date to their fall street fair about 30 years ago and it was NEVER the big deal that it is today of course 'crayon' is a *pen name* Crayon is french for pencil Major Andre is buried in Westminster Abbey, a minor soldier buried among the honored dead of the realm a martyr to the revolution.
Thank you! I love Irving! My older brother was born in Tarrytown so I'm familiar with the area. I also had a paternal aunt who owned a beautiful farm in Morristown, NJ, another very historical area. When my aunt moved to Ft Pierce, Fl to ease her arthritis the farm was sold to the town to become a public park. I haven't seen it since I was a little girl. I may try to find it before I shuffle off but it will make me cry. It was and is my idea of heaven. I wouldn't want to lose that memory to facts. (The Ft Pierce family history includes a prohibition era house of prostitution, building still standing, owned and run by my eldest paternal aunt who was killed rolling her convertible while roaring drunk ... long before I was born.) I consider Rip Van Winkle a time travel story and a dimensional swapping story as well as the first American sci-fi story. It struck me as time travel when I first read it in school in the 50s and of course, I was told that was wrong. Teachers were just the tallest bullies I had to deal with in those years. Not happy days; days of crushing conformity to gender roles for little girls who's moms built airplanes as my mom did. Can't have that! 😮 I ramble, but then all old people are boring while the history we lived through isn't. Ironic, ain't it?😅
I never find old people boring. In fact, when I was a child, I used to harrass older people, so they would tell me about the past. It's where my love of history started. Your aunt sounds like quite a character ❤❤
Not boring at all!!! I loved every word… and relate whole heartedly to the “tallest bullies” and non-conforming gender roles based on inspiration from boundary busting Mothers! My Momma can do anything! If she doesn’t know how, she learns! And your Aunt; what a character!! Thanks for sharing🌻
I worked in long term care facilities for 17 years and heard countless stories from the elderly. Absolutely unbelievable how much history is lost simply because it was never written. Thank you for your story!
Local histories and folklore like this are really fascinating. Definitely worth remembering. For another often forgotten New York story, you may want to consider an episode on the Anti Rent war and late colonial/early American feudalism.
You should consider reading short stories related to holidays such as The legend of Sleepy Hallow and A Christmas Carol. You do such an amazing job with historical stories I think you would be great reading these classics.
It's become a personal Halloween tradition of mine to visit Sleepy Hollow on Halloween. I even saw the "Headless Horseman" riding through the cemetery three years ago (with a plastic pumpkin mask.)
Pvt Abraham Van Tassel 1754-1825 was my 5th great grandfather and according to family tales (which must always be taken with a grain of salt) was Leah's father and the one for whom "Brom" Bones was named. Opinion varies on whether he was a quiet man who was slightly annoyed at this or if he he was a big red-haired brute of a man that threatened to thrash Washington Irving for his temerity. Interestingly, while this was my mother's family my father's family has a connection to your video as well. David Williams, a Tarry town farmer and my 6th great uncle, was the person who actually removed the plans from Major Andre's boot.
There is a ghost of a Hessian slain in battle in Westchester County NY. The ghost resides in an abandoned mansion atop Quaker Ridge Road. He's the reason why this old property still sits abandoned.......very close to the Battle of White Planes .
Through Ichabod Crane’s journey and the ominous Sleepy Hollow, Irving offers a window into early American society, traditions, and fears. It’s a story that, while perfect for Halloween, reminds us of a shared history that still haunts and fascinates us today.
My mom is from Chatham Village in Columbia County and was born in the hospital in Hudson NY. There's a bridge into Hudson that crosses the Hudson River name for the Washington Irving character Rip Van Winkle. Her friend went to a nearby high school in Sleepy Hallow named Sleepy Hallow High. in the 1970s
My cousin was married in the Hudson Valley this summer so we visited many of the sites connected with the story (including Irving’s house and grave). There is a lot of interesting history up there
I heard from a few resources that Ichabod Crane's personality was directly inspired from one of my ancestors. Apparently Washington Irving and him had some sort of acquaintance and he wrote him into the novel. Of course, these sources are from a few physical books and old 1990's web pages that I had scrounged up. The books were from the various surrounding towns of Philipsburg and I don't believe they were ever scanned and digitized for internet archival use. Of course, I'm not going to dox myself, but in a few family heirlooms of which are literature, there are a few written sentences between my ancestors and Mr Irving. They seem to be correspondence between my ancestor and Mr Irving, but signed by both. Mr Irvings signature being "W. Irving". Shocking, I know.
I loved this! How many ways can the spooky phrase 'We may never know' come into play? I've always loved the ambiguous aspect of whether the Headless Horseman was real or a trick. Knowing that there are lots of other questionable aspects to this story is loads of fun.
My first American ancestor was Guilliam Bertholf, the first pastor of the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow. He was a Dutch Reformed minister who started many of the Dutch Churches along the Hudson River in the 1680’s. He also helped found the Dutch church in Tappan, NY where British spy John Andre was tried and eventually hung for espionage. During the Revolution, one of Guilliam’s descendants would be captured by the British and imprisoned in England for privateering. His release would be overseen by no other than Ben Franklin. I love the fact that my father spent decades researching my family history. An appreciation I have done my best to instill I my daughter who now wants to go to college and be a history teacher.
The commercialization of Sleepy Hollow, New York is truly bizarre. It's the only place I know where you can find vendors and a beer tent in a churchyard.
I have always loved this story. Although living in southern Ontario for many generations, a branch of my family once lived in Sleepy Hollow, possibly before the writing of the story.
In Ireland, the headless horseman is a faerie spirit akin to a banshee called a dullyhan or dullahan who wanders the highways hunting for restless ghosts. The dullyhan is sometimes a headless coachman, driving a "death coach." When riding about, he's either headless or is seen carrying his head in one of his hands. The spirit has been known to use a human spine as a whip. Records for dullyhan and banshee are mixed; sometimes they are seen as agents portending great misfortune, and other times they strike down evil, saving the innocent. Slainté (Irish for "to your health!")
Living in Brooklyn, I never realized how close I was to Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown. I finally took the drive a few years ago and what an amazing and beautiful town. The cemetery is a must as is Irvings house. There is so much history in a very small town. Highly recommend a visit or 4 😁
*There is a wonderful drive through the area on the Sawmill parkway. I couldn't resist turning off and visiting Sleepy Hollow during one of my first commutes between my home and The Notches of Northern New Hampshire and my duty station at the time at Naval Station Norfolk.* *You could do an interesting piece on The Sawmill parkway. Maybe tie it in with the skyline drive, or is it the Blue Ridge Parkway? I remember they were among the many WPA and CCC projects during the Depression.*
I'd like to point out that those Hessians weren't demonized post-revolution. In fact something like 60% of them decided to defect and stay in America instead of going back or continuing to work for the British. The majority of them became farmers and community members just like everyone else.
I grew up in PA. We were taught that the Hessians were actually abandoned instead of voluntarily remaining behind. I have German family from the 1700’s that lived in Philadelphia. They may have been Hessian soldiers, whether they remained voluntarily or not.
I grew up about 30 mins north and have visited many times .when i was a kid mom would say don't come home late or the horseman will get you. And on cool autumn nights every damn crack of a stick would cause one to run faster home...
When I was 16 years old, I would go to the cemetery there at night. Really old tombstones, fun memories, thinking of the Headless Horseman!. Great channel, thanks for the history!
Living in the land of Rip Van Wrinkle it is certainly a place of countless history that was one of the focal points that shaped our Nation. Living in the upper Hudson Valley of NY is certainly a fantastic place for history lovers as it really happened here, to say the least.
The town I live in had a person with a horse dressed as the Headless Horseman every Halloween for decades. As he got older, the horse died first and a decade ago the rider passed. A great tradition my grandkids will never know.
Go sit in any Hudson Valley Apple orchard on a typically Grey November Evening at about sunset . Now you know where Irving got his stories , from the sounds and sights of the wind .
I find it interesting how much influence Irving's work has had upon popular culture. Sleepy hollow has become a genuine Halloween legend, his poem about Paul Revere made a star of the minuteman who didn't warn anyone of the British coming and he also wrote a poem that suggested all people from the past believed the world to be flat (they believed nothing of the sort) and yet these have become embedded as facts in the retellings. Truly he was the king of urban myths. 😊
I just read the story last night for the first time and loved it. And appropriately your video shows up today! I really enjoyed learning about the real life connections to the story and how you presented it.
Great timing for things story! Thank you for putting together a interesting and informative short documentary in the well known headless horseman,or how well did we know until now? Looking forward to sharing what I learned with my teen niece and family..All the best THG! 🎃
Our local city park in Bixby Oklahoma, is "Washington Irving Park", during his travels in the west he encamped along the Arkansas river, five miles from my abode.
Thank you. I think The legend of Sleepy Hollow Is the earliest story I remember reading. It captured my first or second grade mind, and to this day, it makes me smile.
I have ancestors on my mother's side that are buried in the graveyard at Sleepy Hollow, other relatives have a street named after them near White Plains NY. (Dobbs Ferry, NY. Lefurgy Ave).
I was born in North Tarrytown as were 4 sibs before me, as was my mother and her 8 sibs, as was my grandfather and his 13 siblings. No family left there except the ones in the cemetery. My folks moved to NJ not long after I was born and we spent our childhood crossing the Tappan Zee to visit family. For those who may remember, how many rode Snowball? She was owned and trained by my great uncle Johnny.
Born and raised in Ossining, NY in 1955, I've read Legend of Sleepy Hollow practically every Halloween. This evening, I watched my favorite retelling of the story, which is a Disney cartoon featuring Bing Crosby as narrator and singer. The cartoonists captured Irving's description of Ichabod Crane faithfully and in a whimsical way. I love the autumn ambiance of the story in both book and cartoon, and often wish I could time-travel back to a more rural Sleepy Hollow!
As a New Yorker educated in the Leather stocking area we had to read Washington Irving. Great old stories. Like most of your work; reminder of known facts and a few new ones. Ironic our previous minivan was built in Sleepy Hallow aka N. Tarrytown.
Thank you for this video!!! My book club read “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” this month, and most of the other members disliked it. They missed the subtle humor and atmosphere that I thought were genius. I have really enjoyed learning about Irving, too. Quite his own character! Would love to visit the real Sleepy Hollow someday. I currently live in Hawaii and you can maybe imagine how fantastical it seems to us over here 😂 We have plenty ghost stories of our own though!
Pithy with a capital Y, Sir! Love the connections, and Washington Irving sounds like an ironic character in his own literary world. Too bad he hadn't discovered Pirates, because don't all good stories...
The legend of Sleepy Hollow was mentioned in a episode of Arthur. It is said that the story has its roots from a soldier who was killed in battle. Hessian.
Greetings and gratitude from Staten Island for including Col. Ichabod Crane in your video. Col. Crane was a resident of the New Springville section of the Island, and did indeed serve in the War of 1812, perhaps along side Irving. Another possible connection is that the author's nephew, Pierre Irving was a Staten Island resident - the first rector of Christ Church New Brighton. Sadly, Col. Crane's home was torn down a couple of decades ago for a hideous tin warehouse despite preservation efforts. His grave still stands in the Asbury Methodist Cemetery, New Springville, Staten Island. It is inscribed: "He served his country faithfully 48 years and was much beloved and respected by all who knew him."
Great episodes. Grew up in Yonkers and grandparents near Kinderhook - parents always drove between the two locations and throughout the Hudson Valley (that was in the '50s) but there was never much promotion of Sleep Hollow. The first time I had heard the story was Walt Disney's version.
I'm so glad you recognized the real Ichabod B. Crane! He was my 1st cousin 8x removed, and his grandfather, Stephen T. Crane of the Continental Congress, was my direct ancestor. I wish Ichabod's reaction to his namesake character had been recorded somewhere, or if his wife Charlotte ever called him "Ichy".
Authors always look for names to use for their characters. I have a friend who is New York Times best seller, and I keep hoping she will use my name for some nefarious character!
Irving spent some time in England where he wrote the wonderful Old Christmas and Bracebridge Hall. As Sleepy Hollow is a perennial Halloween story, Old Christmas is a perfect evocation of a 19th Century country house Christmas. Irving really deserves greater exposure!
The part of the Headless Horseman may have been based on certain mythologies...Dullahans for example. They're based in Irish mythology & are depicted as headless riders on a black horse.
Young America had so many curious things about it. Especially short stories like this one. I still love the story of Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe. And please don't get me started about the works of Mr Twain 😂
As a native Long Island born New Yorker stories like The Headless Horseman and Rip Van Winkle were my first attractions to the upper part of the state and led me to eventually live in the Catskills.
I’m in the process of writing a script for an unofficial sequel to the story. It takes placed on the 100 year anniversary of the Nameless battle (which now goes under the name of “The Battle of Tarrytown”), and the headless horseman turns out to be real. It’s up to the forebears of the original’s characters to investigate and fight the Hessian.
Most people didn't know that Irving is also responsible for nicknaming New York City, Gotham. He knew about the village of Gotham in England known for a legend that says that to keep the King away the villagers pretended to be crazy; in those days people thought that insanity was contagious. Thus, Gotham, a town of lunatics became Irving's nickname for NYC. It still fits. The creator of Batman, saw an ad for "Gotham City Jewelers" and used it as the name of Batman's hometown.
I lived in Sleepy for fifteen years. I was a proud part of the Sleepy Hollow Industrial Complex. While a captain in the fire department, we replaced our fire engine that was yellow and white with a new one that is orange and black. We have a great picture of the Horseman on the side and a flaming jack-o-lantern on the back.
That is frickin' awesome!
Been there; love Tarry Town!
I would hate to live there
@@mattcoffey-s6bI would hate for you to live here too.
That’s awesome.
Years ago at a Revolutionary War re-enactment, I met a fellow whose persona was an American dragoon, complete with horse. He tells me that every year he plays the Headless Horseman at Sleepy Hollow. Being short of stature, he is able to wear a horseman's cloak in a way that makes the top of his head look like a headless neck. Carrying a Jack-o-Lantern, apparently he scares the bejeebers out of the kids.
Lo and behold, at 12.25 there is a still of the fellow I met.
That's so cool! How tall do you reckon he was, with his original head, that is?
Must be quite the equestrian to be able to maneuver so confidently.
@@eldorados_lost_searcher I was about to write the same thing. 👍👏👏
@@widowrumstrypze9705 I would say 5'-5" or so.
@@eldorados_lost_searcher IIRC, he had a stable of horses which he used to mount the re-enactors in his unit. I watched them do a demonstration of military horsemanship at a "Burning of the Valley" event in Schoharie, NY.
They all impressed me, non-rider that I am.
I remember Wonderful World of Disney showing its version along with another cartoon as a kid. Good times.
When I was a kid I saw that, Ichabod Crane tale. Loved it. Tarrytown wasn’t far from my Nan & Pop’s house. We were out for a ride in the country & they bought me The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I was still too little but held onto that book. It’s spooky section of the world 👻🎃🍁
And I'll tell the truth and admit that I'm also old enough to have watched it one Halloween on Shirley Temple Theater! 🎃
me too and i'm 62
Disney's version is my favorite especially with Bing Crosby as the narrator
@ Yes! And Der Bingle’s song 🎃
Mt. Pleasant native here. Been hearing the Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I was a wee child. When I went away to college (right around the time the Johnny Depp movie was released) I used to tell people that Sleepy Hollow was a real place and no one ever believed me 🤣😂
It's a great little town surrounded by tons and tons of history and historical sites. Definitely worth a visit.
I took the train from Long Island last week to check out the Halloween parade. Fun day
“Sleepy Hollow Industrial Complex” is just about the most History Guy thing ever.
Actually came from the New York Times.
Actually came from the New York Times.
I live nearby. It’s a real thing.
The town grows 5x around that time of year.
When I was a kid in the 70's, I had a Fisher Price record player and had a 45 record of the story. I'd play it every Halloween and it scared the crap out of me every time. :)
My uncle made that record player. All Fisher Price toys were made in Medina, NY until they shut it down in 80s or 90s.
Same!
I was born in Tarrytown hospital, raised in Irvington, moved to Tarrytown, at age 17, about a quarter mile from the Washington Irving estate, worked in Elmsford evenings senior year in high school and grandparents are buried in Sleepy Hollow cemetery.
That would just be so cool!
When we were young kids back in the early 70s, our dad would read this to us every Halloween, and I've been fond of the story and the legend ever since. In October of 2020, during the last few months of my dad's decline, I got to read the story to him, a memory I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. As an aside, one year my work took me through the Hudson Valley and I stopped in Sleepy Hollow to take in the history and the scenery. A stroll through the cemetery there can be a profound reminder of our mortality as the ultimate equalizer as there in that graveyard, one can find the resting places of both industrialist Andrew Carnegie and labor leader Samuel Gompers.
Good stuff Jay
The Headless Horseman was always the story I told around a campfire during the annual Father-Son Campout with my church.
This morning I caught myself narrating (out loud) mundane task in THG voice 😅 “He folded the shirt……and put it…in the drawer”. Had to come over and delighted to see a new video! Thank you
You really must get out more
I grew up in the Hudson Valley. Our 7th grade class was scheduled to take a field trip to Washington Irving's home and historical center, but it was postponed due to rain. We never did get to go, but I've driven through that area, and in the fall, it's very spooky.
BOM BOM bom bompba bomp..BOM BOM bombapa bomp bo... Rip van Winkle, Rip van Winkle...sleep sleep sleep
As a ‘horse nut’ from childhood the prospect of riding as the ‘headless Horseman’ was a goal that almost came true when I owned a BIG black mare ( granddaughter of Secretariat) whose eerie Appaloosa white-rimmed eyes gave her a strange appearance on a good day, let alone dressed up with day-glo chalk under Black Light at a ‘haunted house’ fest.
My wife's family are Van Tassels. Katrina is an aunt on her family tree.
Yeah I knew a guy that would tell everyone he was related to chingachgook. He was delusional too, believing every fictional story so he could claim descendency. Stay off drugs.
My great great great grandma’s name was Mary Van Tassel and she was from that area! What do you know about the surname, and when the family came to America? I read the name was originally Van Teixel.
One wonders if a spooky tale inside a book would send shivers down its own spine...
Ouch 🫤
I see what you did there. Very clever 🤣
😂😂😂
*groan*. (I love a good play on words!)
When I was trick or treating one year, my brother dressed up as the headless horseman. He rode through our neighborhood until he found me. He had taught his horse to prance and rear up on command. Half quarter horse and half Tennessee Walker, Red was an impressive figure! My brother scared the dickens out of me. I ran all the way home. No more candy! I just wanted to live! 😂
😂
Fun fact: Springfield, Virginia's Washington Irving Middle School's mascot is the Headless Horseman.
That makes them the school with the nation's most badass mascot, for sure!
The high school serving the Village of Sleepy Hollow is called Sleepy Hollow High School, their mascot are the Headless Horsemen.
Kinderhook’s schools are Ichabod Crane (just down the road from the schoolhouse mentioned here). They’re known as The Riders.
Your mention of the huge tree about ten paces wide also brought back a few memories as well. If you know where to look for them, like in nearby Hartsdale, you can find a few splendid, gnarled old oak trees that easily date back to George Washington’s time. There aren’t many left and I heard earlier this year that at least one of them needed to be cut down for its own health, but they are about as enormous and huge as the description given in Andre’s capture.
Yes the Balmville tree has to be cut down
I grew up about 20 miles from sleepy hollow, my wife and i went on our first date to their fall street fair about 30 years ago and it was NEVER the big deal that it is today
of course 'crayon' is a *pen name* Crayon is french for pencil
Major Andre is buried in Westminster Abbey, a minor soldier buried among the honored dead of the realm a martyr to the revolution.
Thank you! I love Irving!
My older brother was born in Tarrytown so I'm familiar with the area. I also had a paternal aunt who owned a beautiful farm in Morristown, NJ, another very historical area. When my aunt moved to Ft Pierce, Fl to ease her arthritis the farm was sold to the town to become a public park. I haven't seen it since I was a little girl. I may try to find it before I shuffle off but it will make me cry. It was and is my idea of heaven. I wouldn't want to lose that memory to facts. (The Ft Pierce family history includes a prohibition era house of prostitution, building still standing, owned and run by my eldest paternal aunt who was killed rolling her convertible while roaring drunk ... long before I was born.)
I consider Rip Van Winkle a time travel story and a dimensional swapping story as well as the first American sci-fi story. It struck me as time travel when I first read it in school in the 50s and of course, I was told that was wrong. Teachers were just the tallest bullies I had to deal with in those years. Not happy days; days of crushing conformity to gender roles for little girls who's moms built airplanes as my mom did. Can't have that! 😮
I ramble, but then all old people are boring while the history we lived through isn't. Ironic, ain't it?😅
I never find old people boring. In fact, when I was a child, I used to harrass older people, so they would tell me about the past. It's where my love of history started. Your aunt sounds like quite a character ❤❤
Not boring at all!!! I loved every word… and relate whole heartedly to the “tallest bullies” and non-conforming gender roles based on inspiration from boundary busting Mothers! My Momma can do anything! If she doesn’t know how, she learns!
And your Aunt; what a character!! Thanks for sharing🌻
I worked in long term care facilities for 17 years and heard countless stories from the elderly. Absolutely unbelievable how much history is lost simply because it was never written. Thank you for your story!
“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!” - Fort Apache 1948
The line is said by a News reporter character in John Ford’s "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence."
@ Thank you for the correction, i knew it was from a John Ford / John Wayne western movie however i was not sure which one.
@@Cleveland.IronmanNo problem. The Western Cavalry trilogy by John Ford and his fav actor John Wayne are such a classic films.
Local histories and folklore like this are really fascinating. Definitely worth remembering. For another often forgotten New York story, you may want to consider an episode on the Anti Rent war and late colonial/early American feudalism.
Another stirringly triumphant video, Sir. Well done, from Perth Western Australia.
You should consider reading short stories related to holidays such as The legend of Sleepy Hallow and A Christmas Carol. You do such an amazing job with historical stories I think you would be great reading these classics.
Yes! I vote for readings of historical stories, as well! lol 😃 📚 📖 🤓
Every Xmas for many yrs I'd get together with 2 friends and we'd take turns reading Christmas Carol until we finished it or got too drunk to continue.
Yeah he’s a great narrator well paced and changes in emphasis.
I'm sorry - the Muppets Christmas Carol is THE best ...EVER. You know narrated by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat.
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!" Maxwell Scott in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence". Scott was played by actor Carleton Young.
Sleepy Hollow has always been my favorite Halloween time tale.
It's become a personal Halloween tradition of mine to visit Sleepy Hollow on Halloween. I even saw the "Headless Horseman" riding through the cemetery three years ago (with a plastic pumpkin mask.)
The “Headless Horseman” is a woman!
Pvt Abraham Van Tassel 1754-1825 was my 5th great grandfather and according to family tales (which must always be taken with a grain of salt) was Leah's father and the one for whom "Brom" Bones was named. Opinion varies on whether he was a quiet man who was slightly annoyed at this or if he he was a big red-haired brute of a man that threatened to thrash Washington Irving for his temerity. Interestingly, while this was my mother's family my father's family has a connection to your video as well. David Williams, a Tarry town farmer and my 6th great uncle, was the person who actually removed the plans from Major Andre's boot.
What did your 5 other uncles do that was better?
There is a ghost of a Hessian slain in battle in Westchester County NY. The ghost resides in an abandoned mansion atop Quaker Ridge Road. He's the reason why this old property still sits abandoned.......very close to the Battle of White Planes .
How do you know it is a ghost?
Through Ichabod Crane’s journey and the ominous Sleepy Hollow, Irving offers a window into early American society, traditions, and fears. It’s a story that, while perfect for Halloween, reminds us of a shared history that still haunts and fascinates us today.
his bow tie is awesome
1:58 Ok, we have a sketch book from a guy named Crayon, Crayon=>pencil (wood pencil) in French.
My mom is from Chatham Village in Columbia County and was born in the hospital in Hudson NY. There's a bridge into Hudson that crosses the Hudson River name for the Washington Irving character Rip Van Winkle. Her friend went to a nearby high school in Sleepy Hallow named Sleepy Hallow High. in the 1970s
North Tarrytown wasn't renamed Sleepy Hollow till 1996. Are you sure of the names of the high school?
I even like the Johnny Depp Sleepy Hollow. 👻🎃🍁
"You must never move the body." "Why not?" "Because."
My cousin was married in the Hudson Valley this summer so we visited many of the sites connected with the story (including Irving’s house and grave).
There is a lot of interesting history up there
I heard from a few resources that Ichabod Crane's personality was directly inspired from one of my ancestors. Apparently Washington Irving and him had some sort of acquaintance and he wrote him into the novel. Of course, these sources are from a few physical books and old 1990's web pages that I had scrounged up. The books were from the various surrounding towns of Philipsburg and I don't believe they were ever scanned and digitized for internet archival use. Of course, I'm not going to dox myself, but in a few family heirlooms of which are literature, there are a few written sentences between my ancestors and Mr Irving. They seem to be correspondence between my ancestor and Mr Irving, but signed by both. Mr Irvings signature being "W. Irving". Shocking, I know.
Can you imagine sitting around the fireplace in 1820 and reading that? You'd never go out at night again!
I like this historical rendition.
I loved this! How many ways can the spooky phrase 'We may never know' come into play? I've always loved the ambiguous aspect of whether the Headless Horseman was real or a trick. Knowing that there are lots of other questionable aspects to this story is loads of fun.
"The Sleepy Hollow Industrial Complex." I believe Eisenhower warned us against this :)
Nope.
Washington Irving was so busy that he didn't have time to write 'The Headless Horseman'
Instead, he used ghost rider.....
lol
You can let yourself out now .... XD
Ghost writer?
Haha
Once again, your way of telling a story transforms me into a little kid who hears it for the very first time. You have a gift.
👻 Horror fiction in text form is true art. When well done, the reader’s imagination creates imagery more terrifying than CGI.
Very true!
My first American ancestor was Guilliam Bertholf, the first pastor of the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow. He was a Dutch Reformed minister who started many of the Dutch Churches along the Hudson River in the 1680’s. He also helped found the Dutch church in Tappan, NY where British spy John Andre was tried and eventually hung for espionage. During the Revolution, one of Guilliam’s descendants would be captured by the British and imprisoned in England for privateering. His release would be overseen by no other than Ben Franklin. I love the fact that my father spent decades researching my family history. An appreciation I have done my best to instill I my daughter who now wants to go to college and be a history teacher.
The commercialization of Sleepy Hollow, New York is truly bizarre. It's the only place I know where you can find vendors and a beer tent in a churchyard.
I have always loved this story. Although living in southern Ontario for many generations, a branch of my family once lived in Sleepy Hollow, possibly before the writing of the story.
In Ireland, the headless horseman is a faerie spirit akin to a banshee called a dullyhan or dullahan who wanders the highways hunting for restless ghosts. The dullyhan is sometimes a headless coachman, driving a "death coach." When riding about, he's either headless or is seen carrying his head in one of his hands. The spirit has been known to use a human spine as a whip. Records for dullyhan and banshee are mixed; sometimes they are seen as agents portending great misfortune, and other times they strike down evil, saving the innocent. Slainté (Irish for "to your health!")
What a great legacy left by Mr Irving, still shaping history a century later.
I saw the Disney version when I was a kid in the theater. It scared me silly
I was TERRIFIED of the Wizard of Oz - the lying monkeys. SCARY STUFF. XD
The lying monkeys went into politics after the death of the wicked witch.
Living in Brooklyn, I never realized how close I was to Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown. I finally took the drive a few years ago and what an amazing and beautiful town. The cemetery is a must as is Irvings house. There is so much history in a very small town. Highly recommend a visit or 4 😁
Happy Halloween!
When I did my family history I found an ancestor named Mary Van Tassel who lived in the Sleepy Hollow area! I was thrilled!
*There is a wonderful drive through the area on the Sawmill parkway. I couldn't resist turning off and visiting Sleepy Hollow during one of my first commutes between my home and The Notches of Northern New Hampshire and my duty station at the time at Naval Station Norfolk.*
*You could do an interesting piece on The Sawmill parkway. Maybe tie it in with the skyline drive, or is it the Blue Ridge Parkway? I remember they were among the many WPA and CCC projects during the Depression.*
And the Bronx River Parkway, the oldest in the US, was built in 1933. It's just as narrow today as 90 years ago, but with 2024 traffic.
I'd like to point out that those Hessians weren't demonized post-revolution. In fact something like 60% of them decided to defect and stay in America instead of going back or continuing to work for the British.
The majority of them became farmers and community members just like everyone else.
You are correct, Sir. One of my ancestors was a Hessian soldier from Denmark.
I grew up in PA. We were taught that the Hessians were actually abandoned instead of voluntarily remaining behind. I have German family from the 1700’s that lived in Philadelphia. They may have been Hessian soldiers, whether they remained voluntarily or not.
I grew up about 30 mins north and have visited many times .when i was a kid mom would say don't come home late or the horseman will get you. And on cool autumn nights every damn crack of a stick would cause one to run faster home...
When I was 16 years old, I would go to the cemetery there at night. Really old tombstones, fun memories, thinking of the Headless Horseman!. Great channel, thanks for the history!
Living in the land of Rip Van Wrinkle it is certainly a place of countless history that was one of the focal points that shaped our Nation. Living in the upper Hudson Valley of NY is certainly a fantastic place for history lovers as it really happened here, to say the least.
The town I live in had a person with a horse dressed as the Headless Horseman every Halloween for decades. As he got older, the horse died first and a decade ago the rider passed. A great tradition my grandkids will never know.
Go sit in any Hudson Valley Apple orchard on a typically Grey November Evening at about sunset .
Now you know where Irving got his stories , from the sounds and sights of the wind .
As always, a well researched and well told story! Thank you, History Guy!
I find it interesting how much influence Irving's work has had upon popular culture. Sleepy hollow has become a genuine Halloween legend, his poem about Paul Revere made a star of the minuteman who didn't warn anyone of the British coming and he also wrote a poem that suggested all people from the past believed the world to be flat (they believed nothing of the sort) and yet these have become embedded as facts in the retellings. Truly he was the king of urban myths. 😊
I just read the story last night for the first time and loved it. And appropriately your video shows up today! I really enjoyed learning about the real life connections to the story and how you presented it.
Great timing for things story! Thank you for putting together a interesting and informative short documentary in the well known headless horseman,or how well did we know until now? Looking forward to sharing what I learned with my teen niece and family..All the best THG! 🎃
One of the greatest channels on UA-cam! Don't stop making videos anytime soon, please .
Our local city park in Bixby Oklahoma, is "Washington Irving Park", during his travels in the west he encamped along the Arkansas river, five miles from my abode.
Thank you. I think The legend of Sleepy Hollow Is the earliest story I remember reading. It captured my first or second grade mind, and to this day, it makes me smile.
Washington Irving's home Sunnyside in Tarrytown is a great historic home to tour!
This is an awesome story to cover rite at Halloween. The back story of these people bring new light to this for me .
I've always thought Schubert's "Erlkonig" would be the perfect underscore to a Headless Horseman sequence.
I always enjoy watching you. You are one of my favorite UA-camrs!!
You can't beat the history guy for what he does or the love he has for his country (and of course - history) ❤
I have ancestors on my mother's side that are buried in the graveyard at Sleepy Hollow, other relatives have a street named after them near White Plains NY. (Dobbs Ferry, NY. Lefurgy Ave).
A most excellent detailing of this haunting tale and of facts surrounding its origin and history. Very enjoyable!
A great way to start my day off.
Thank you.
I was born in North Tarrytown as were 4 sibs before me, as was my mother and her 8 sibs, as was my grandfather and his 13 siblings. No family left there except the ones in the cemetery. My folks moved to NJ not long after I was born and we spent our childhood crossing the Tappan Zee to visit family. For those who may remember, how many rode Snowball? She was owned and trained by my great uncle Johnny.
Thank you! That tale has long been a favorite. I guess I've taken it for granted; I had no idea it was so complex.
Born and raised in Ossining, NY in 1955, I've read Legend of Sleepy Hollow practically every Halloween. This evening, I watched my favorite retelling of the story, which is a Disney cartoon featuring Bing Crosby as narrator and singer. The cartoonists captured Irving's description of Ichabod Crane faithfully and in a whimsical way. I love the autumn ambiance of the story in both book and cartoon, and often wish I could time-travel back to a more rural Sleepy Hollow!
Ooo, I enjoyed this. Excellent research and presentation.
was just up there last thursday walking around the cemetery
As a New Yorker educated in the Leather stocking area we had to read Washington Irving. Great old stories. Like most of your work; reminder of known facts and a few new ones.
Ironic our previous minivan was built in Sleepy Hallow aka N. Tarrytown.
Thank you for this video!!! My book club read “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” this month, and most of the other members disliked it. They missed the subtle humor and atmosphere that I thought were genius. I have really enjoyed learning about Irving, too. Quite his own character!
Would love to visit the real Sleepy Hollow someday. I currently live in Hawaii and you can maybe imagine how fantastical it seems to us over here 😂 We have plenty ghost stories of our own though!
Pithy with a capital Y, Sir! Love the connections, and Washington Irving sounds like an ironic character in his own literary world. Too bad he hadn't discovered Pirates, because don't all good stories...
The Sleepy Hollow Industrial Complex...I LOVE IT!😂😂😂
The legend of Sleepy Hollow was mentioned in a episode of Arthur. It is said that the story has its roots from a soldier who was killed in battle. Hessian.
I knew you would bring pirates into the story somehow, "After all don't all great stories have pirates"? 😂😂 LOL!...
Greetings and gratitude from Staten Island for including Col. Ichabod Crane in your video. Col. Crane was a resident of the New Springville section of the Island, and did indeed serve in the War of 1812, perhaps along side Irving. Another possible connection is that the author's nephew, Pierre Irving was a Staten Island resident - the first rector of Christ Church New Brighton. Sadly, Col. Crane's home was torn down a couple of decades ago for a hideous tin warehouse despite preservation efforts. His grave still stands in the Asbury Methodist Cemetery, New Springville, Staten Island. It is inscribed: "He served his country faithfully 48 years and was much beloved and respected by all who knew him."
Been to Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving's home, Terrytown, place of Dark Shadow reunions. Hour north of New York City by train.
Great episodes. Grew up in Yonkers and grandparents near Kinderhook - parents always drove between the two locations and throughout the Hudson Valley (that was in the '50s) but there was never much promotion of Sleep Hollow. The first time I had heard the story was Walt Disney's version.
North Tarrytown changed their name to Sleepy Hollow in 1996.
I'm so glad you recognized the real Ichabod B. Crane! He was my 1st cousin 8x removed, and his grandfather, Stephen T. Crane of the Continental Congress, was my direct ancestor. I wish Ichabod's reaction to his namesake character had been recorded somewhere, or if his wife Charlotte ever called him "Ichy".
Growing up in upstate NY my teachers in the '70's read this story to us around this time of year. Spooked us every time 🤣
Authors always look for names to use for their characters. I have a friend who is New York Times best seller, and I keep hoping she will use my name for some nefarious character!
Do you have a good villain name? 😊
Irving spent some time in England where he wrote the wonderful Old Christmas and Bracebridge Hall. As Sleepy Hollow is a perennial Halloween story, Old Christmas is a perfect evocation of a 19th Century country house Christmas. Irving really deserves greater exposure!
I have always wondered about the truth behind the tale. I listen to the story every October and love it. Thank you for the deep dive.
The part of the Headless Horseman may have been based on certain mythologies...Dullahans for example. They're based in Irish mythology & are depicted as headless riders on a black horse.
Young America had so many curious things about it. Especially short stories like this one. I still love the story of Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe. And please don't get me started about the works of Mr Twain 😂
The pen name double fake should be rated as literary genius.
It takes a keen wit to think of something like that, as the intro for your story.
As a native Long Island born New Yorker stories like The Headless Horseman and Rip Van Winkle were my first attractions to the upper part of the state and led me to eventually live in the Catskills.
I’m in the process of writing a script for an unofficial sequel to the story. It takes placed on the 100 year anniversary of the Nameless battle (which now goes under the name of “The Battle of Tarrytown”), and the headless horseman turns out to be real. It’s up to the forebears of the original’s characters to investigate and fight the Hessian.
I always try for a different movie version of this story around Halloween, this worked great. Thanks
I like the one that Jeff Goldblum did….
I appreciate you and thank you for making content.
Most people didn't know that Irving is also responsible for nicknaming New York City, Gotham.
He knew about the village of Gotham in England known for a legend that says that to keep the King away the villagers pretended to be crazy; in those days people thought that insanity was contagious. Thus, Gotham, a town of lunatics became Irving's nickname for NYC. It still fits. The creator of Batman, saw an ad for "Gotham City Jewelers" and used it as the name of Batman's hometown.