Washington Irving published 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' in 1820. The story describes a haunted valley near Tarrytown where a Hessian soldier, decapitated by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War, rides nightly searching for his head. Schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, vying for the wealthy Katrina Van Tassel, is chased by the Horseman and disappears forever. Irving set the story in a real place - the Dutch farming community of North Tarrytown, which he renamed Sleepy Hollow for literary effect. The story became American mythology, the Headless Horseman one of our earliest and most enduring monsters. In 1996, the village officially renamed itself Sleepy Hollow, completing Irving's transformation of reality into legend.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery was established in 1849, though burials on the site date to the 1600s. The original Old Dutch Church (1685) stands at the entrance, surrounded by the oldest graves - weathered fieldstones marking Dutch settlers, some with skull-and-crossbones motifs. The cemetery expanded up the hillside in the Victorian era, adopting the 'rural cemetery' aesthetic: winding paths, landscaped grounds, elaborate monuments. Wealthy New Yorkers chose Sleepy Hollow for its literary associations and scenic location. The cemetery now covers 90 acres and contains about 45,000 burials. The old and new sections create striking contrast - 18th-century simplicity beside Gilded Age excess.

Washington Irving was buried at Sleepy Hollow in 1859, joining the village he'd made immortal. His grave is a popular destination, near the Old Dutch Church. Nearby lie Andrew Carnegie (steel), William Rockefeller (Standard Oil), Walter Chrysler (automobiles), Brooke Astor (philanthropy), and Leona Helmsley (hotels and tax evasion). The Vanderbilts and Astors have family plots. Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor, rests here. Elizabeth Arden, cosmetics pioneer. The cemetery is a who's who of American capitalism - the industrialists who built fortunes chose to spend eternity in Irving's haunted valley.

Every October, Sleepy Hollow embraces its spooky heritage. The cemetery offers lantern tours past the famous graves, complete with costumed guides and theatrical storytelling. The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze displays thousands of illuminated pumpkins at nearby Van Cortlandt Manor. The Headless Horseman rides through town in parades and haunted attractions. The village has made Halloween its brand - shops sell Headless Horseman merchandise, restaurants offer themed menus, and visitors arrive by thousands. Irving's fiction has become Sleepy Hollow's economy. The writer who invented the town's myth now supports its reality.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is located at 540 North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow, New York, about 30 miles north of Manhattan. The cemetery is open daily during daylight hours. Self-guided tours are possible; maps are available at the entrance. Guided tours (including Halloween lantern tours) are offered seasonally. The Old Dutch Church is adjacent. Washington Irving's grave is marked on all maps. Carnegie, Rockefeller, and other notable graves require some searching. Parking is available. Sleepy Hollow is accessible by Metro-North train from Grand Central Terminal. October is peak season; expect crowds. The village offers restaurants, shops, and the Philipsburg Manor historic site. Allow at least two hours for the cemetery.