Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Want to beat quarantine blues?  What better way than to follow in the steps of a famous New Yorker who’s since passed on to the next life?  I refer of course to Washington Irving, famous author of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Ironically, Irving made his way north out of New York City escaping another famous pandemic of his day, Yellow Fever.  Irving landed in Tarrytown, and would eventually settle here permanently, falling in love with the Hudson Valley which would become the setting of his famous stories.

I arrived at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, located in Sleepy Hollow New York (Westchester County) Irving’s resting place, in the early afternoon and found the cemetery to be nearly empty.  I began to stroll the grounds, with the help of Find a Grave app, I located Washington Irving’s tomb and paid my respects.  I continued to explore, enjoying the sights and tranquility of the cemetery.  The old Dutch Church (pictured above) is near the South Gate and has some very old graves near it.  Some stones are written in Dutch, showing both their age and the Dutch influence that characterized New York in that period.

A safe way to spend the day in this Coronavirus ridden period.  I highly recommend checking it out for all of my local history buffs, or for someone just looking to walk around safely during this time.