The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (1820)

Schooltacher Ichabod Crane, courting the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, encounters the terrifying Headless Horseman on a dark night ride through the haunted glen. America's most famous ghost story.

Historical Significance:
Published in 1820 as part of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, this story and "Rip Van Winkle" made Washington Irving the first American author to achieve international fame. Irving wrote both stories while living in England, homesick for the Hudson Valley of his youth. The Headless Horseman — a Hessian soldier decapitated by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War — became one of America's most enduring folklore figures. Tim Burton's 1999 film starring Johnny Depp and Disney's 1949 animated adaptation brought the tale to new generations. Every Halloween, the real Sleepy Hollow in New York hosts thousands of visitors.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1820. Free to read and share.