Katharina Buczek
At the time, though, escaping the urban setting was not feasible for all city dwellers. Irving was only able to because he hailed from a wealthy family who could afford to travel elsewhere. And the idyllic countryside region that Irving ended up in went on to inspire much of his writing. He particularly loved the Catskill Mountains and claimed they had a “witching effect” on his mind.
Plus, aside from The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow being based on a real New York town, Irving also based the legend’s characters on real people.
For example, Ichabod Crane is believed to have been inspired by Jesse Merwin. Jesse was a mutual friend of both Irving and former president Martin van Buren who taught in upstate New York and frequently kept Irvin company. Additionally, the name “Ichabod Crane” actually belonged to an army officer who served during the War of 1812. In fact, Irving and the real-life Ichabod were even stationed at the same location during the war. However, there is no conclusive evidence that the pair ever met.
Finally, Ichabod’s love interest in the legend, Katrina Van Tassel, was also supposedly based on a woman named Eleanor Van Tassel Brush– a Tarrytown resident described as “ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as one of her father’s peaches.”
Reality Informs The Supernatural
It is clear that Irving’s famous tale is a concoction of various experiences– both lived, mythical, foreign, and personal. And perhaps that is why The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow has remained such a compelling story in horror folklore all of these years.
“It inspires people because it reminds them that there are still some American mysteries, some half-truths that may never be fully known– and that’s the whole point. The ‘legend’ lends itself to any interpretation, and it continues to fascinate and terrify us in the best possible way,” said Elizabeth Bradley, a Historic Hudson Valley historian.
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