Strictly speaking, the famous graveyard of Sleepy Hollow consists of two distinct properties, which are commonly mistaken as one. The confusion is understandable; although under different ownership, both cemeteries are immediately adjacent to one another and have no dividing boundary between them - each flows naturally into the other, and it's very difficult to determine where one ends and the other begins.
The burial ground of the Old Dutch Church is the smaller and much older of the two sites. This is the property so well known for its role in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Residents of the village have been buried in the vicinity of this church since 1640:
In contrast, the much larger Sleepy Hollow Cemetery was established over 200 years later, in 1849. Since then, this public cemetery has added 90 acres to the village burial grounds:
Washington Irving welcomed the establishment of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery as a means of preserving the surroundings of the Old Dutch Church and its ancient burial ground, precluding other forms of development nearby that might have been ruinous to the integrity of the historical setting of his legend. Despite Irving's wishes to the contrary, however, the new graveyard was initially called Tarrytown Cemetery during the first two decades of its operation, in reference to the more prosperous neighborhood to the south. Irving preferred the Sleepy Hollow title, recalling the site of his story and the legendary heritage of the village, but the name wasn't properly attributed to the cemetery until a decade after his death and burial there.
Although Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is open to the public during daylight hours, it can be visited in a more unique and intriguing way: the lantern tour after dark, which I can recommend from personal experience. The cemetery offers these tours throughout the year; information about tour schedules can be found at sleepyhollowcemetery.org.
In the pages that follow, you'll find some of the most notable attractions in both of Sleepy Hollow's historic burial yards.
On to the Washington Irving Gravesite...
or