in

Horror Society’s Mike DeFellipo Visits Sleepy Hollow, NY.

sleepyhollow1

My love for horror and the macabre has taken me on many adventures in the last handful of years. The real Amityville Horror House, the river from the shark attacks that inspired Jaws, tons of Weird NJ spots (just google it); but, I have to say that my exploration yesterday was one of my favorites. After some random, simple searches I discovered that Sleepy Hollow, New York is located just about two hours from my house. Even if you’re not an avid viewer of the hit FOX television series of the same name, most people understand and cherish the lure that surrounds Sleepy Hollow, especially when in relation to the small town’s infamous villain. Everyone knows the story of the ghastly Headless Horseman, chasing poor Ichabod Crane across a rickety wooden bridge and destroying the schoolmaster with a flaming pumpkin-head just before he reached safety on the other side. The 1820 short story from Washington Irving has stood the test of time and it has become one of horror’s most popular tall tales. So, of course, why wouldn’t I want to to visit the real life territory that inspired “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?”

After picking up my sister and heading north, I found myself driving through the streets of Sleepy Hollow, NY, a small town nestled between Mount Pleasant and Tarrytown. Surprisingly, I found myself instantly in love with the quaint town; it was bustling yet homey and appealing. I loved the rolling hills, the mom and pop stores, the forests on one side and the Hudson River on the other; most of all I loved that Horseman Fever was in full effect. I’m aware that my first trip to the noteworthy city took place in October, a time when I imagine the locals spruce up the place with ghostly, headless Hessians to greatly increase the town’s prosperity. However, if there’s even the slightest chance that Sleepy Hollow retains a fraction of its Halloween themed charm, well, I just need to live there. Now. There’s a Horseman statue, Horseman decorations and the town’s mascot is actually the Headless Horseman (duh!). Living in Sleepy Hollow must be like getting a taste of Halloween all year long and I am insanely jealous!

sleepyhollow3Mission #1 was to find the Headless Horseman Bridge. With time of the essence and the threat of sun down in a few hours, obviously my sister and I had to guarantee ourselves the pleasure of walking across the actual Headless Horseman Bridge. There’s only one problem with that: the exact location of the bridge was never clarified and, since the short story took place in 1790, that means more than 200 years of wear and tare have long done away with Ichabod Crane’s only hope of survival. Researches and Sleepy Hollow experts have agreed that one of the most plausible sites of the bridge, though revamped and remodeled, lies inside the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. After parking my car at the entrance and walking about half a mile up the road, I finally laid my eyes on the bridge. It made sense. The bridge is only about 50 feet in length yet it successfully crosses the Pocantico River and is a safe passage between the two caverns carved into the hillside. The side of the cemetery where I parked is actually the smaller of the two sides and it does make for a quicker getaway to civilization…especially when being chased by The Headless Horseman!

I will admit that I walked over the bridge two or three times, just to say that I had accomplished such an important task. Even though it may not be the exact location of the epic chase and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is based on extremely loose events, it still felt like a historical walkway to me. Speaking of history, a lot of famous figures and characters from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” are buried in the adjacent cemetery, including author Washington Irving himself! There is a map available for purchase that will take you on a self guided tour to 50 spots in the 200+ year old graveyard, but my sister and I couldn’t find the office that sold the pamphlet – only to later discover that it was an online purchase. Oops! Still, even with a slight trek along the outskirts of the cemetery I was able to spot graves that were over two centuries old. What I did not spot, though, was a mausoleum statue that is rumored to wave at you as you walk by. Jesus. How many legends does one small town possess?!

sleepyhollow2Mission #2 was to find a gift shop so I can splurge on Headless Horseman memorabilia. Luckily, the first place I stopped into was absolutely fantastic. Bella’s Boutique is located on North Broadway in Tarrytown and is one of the many cute, independently owned businesses that line the main streets of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. As soon as you walk in the door you’re met with lots of exhibits and displays, a variety of knickknacks and apparel, cool decorations and a really pleasant aroma, actually. My sister greeted the shop stewart while I proceeded to the back of the store, nearly foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the Headless Horseman gear I was about to purchase. It was like a kid walking into a candy store. Headless Horseman t-shirts, hoodies, hats, aprons, key-chains, shot glasses, paintings, books, etc. I was in Heaven and had no problem spending $110 on four items because…I just had to have them. The woman working the register up front should be commended. She was extremely personable and attentive from the moment we walked through the door, both to my sister and I and the other people shopping. She was talkative and diligent and appeared to enjoy her job. She made the whole experience at Bella’s Boutique an awesome one and I think there will be many returning customers due to her upbeat personality. If the woman working the register at 4:00PM on Wednesday, October 8 is not the owner of the establishment, I hope the owner sees this and does something nice to reward such a great employee! Seriously. If you ever find yourself exploring Sleepy Hollow, NY, make sure to stop by Bella’s Boutique!

Now, I had an interesting encounter while checking out at Bella’s Boutique. Before me in line stood an older married couple who were proclaiming to be real-life descendants of Katrina Van Tassel, the woman whose heart Ichabod Crane tried so desperately to capture. It should be noted that the woman who Katrina was based off of was named Eleanor Van Tassel Brush and she is buried at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Being that the Van Tassel family were a real family who lived in the area, it is quite possible that descendants exist to this very day. Only problem is, wouldn’t the last name have changed after centuries of marriage? Anyway, the friendly pair were talking about the cross country vacation they were on, having flown from Washington State to visit historic places on the East Coast. With that in mind, I did a little digging and I discovered that there are 10 Van Tassel families in Washington State; not that the fact should mind-blowing since there’s over 320,000,000 people living in America. I wasn’t able to gather enough information from eavesdropping and I didn’t want to appear to call them liars, so it remains to be seen whether or not the pair I ran into were descendants of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” characters. If they were, then I have a historic conversation piece of my very own.

sleepyhollow4Afterward, we had a little bit of time to kill before heading home, so we decided to check out some of the other historical non-horror related sites that Sleepy Hollow has to offer. We checked out the adjoining Old Dutch Cemetery, 1750’s mill and trade center Philipsburg Manor and The Kingsland Point Lighthouse. With a day spent driving and walking, my sister and I were insanely hungry and decided to stop at The Horseman Restaurant. Having parked in the back, we immediately noticed that the restaurant was kind of small, but had a very relaxed and inviting feel to it, just like the old diners you see on Food Network. Better yet, the place was themed; with Headless Horseman pictures everywhere, paintings of the towns history, Halloween decorations hanging from the ceiling and passages from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” scrawled on the windows. This was definitely the place to eat (and it offers outdoor seating!). If you go to The Horseman Restaurant, then I highly recommend getting the nachos or any meal that comes with french fries. Both are absolutely phenomenal! And cheap! Another example of the quality food and low prices comes from the supposed Van Tassel descendants I met who told us of a $10 lunch special of steak, mashed potatoes and gravy. As with Bella’s Boutique, I would 100% return to this diner to eat again!

With horror history being seen with my own eyes, a shopping bag full of Headless Horseman swag, a little site seeing checked off and very full tummy, it was time for my sister and I to head home. We thoroughly enjoyed our four hour trip to Sleepy Hollow, NY. There’s something so quaint, calming and friendly about the entire town, despite it’s somewhat supernaturally homicidal past. I only have one problem with my trip – it made me want to live there! Who knows, maybe I will one day. A horror reporter living next door to The Headless Horseman. What could go wrong?

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.