10/07/2026
Although our library is just north of "Sleepy Hollow Country", we're happy to share a literary connection with one of America's most famous ghost stories! Washington Irving's tale of a ghostly headless horseman first appeared as one of 34 essays that were published serially between 1819 and 1820. These essays would be combined into a work known as "The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent", which also included his other famous short story "Rip Van Winkle". These works, especially the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, became the first widely read works of American literature in Europe, and marked the beginning of a new tourist industry in the Hudson Valley.
The 1842 accession book of the Newburgh Mechanic's Library, which later became part of the Newburgh Free Library, shows how popular Irving was in our community at this time! Three copies of "The Legend of Geoffrey Crayon" by Irving appear towards the bottom of the first image. It also shows that although this work was published under Irving's pseudonym, the librarian decided to place it under the author's real name.
Sadly, we no longer have these copies of one of Irving's most famous works, however we do have an 1821 edition of "History of New York", a satirical history of New York City, also written by Irving, under the name "Diedrich Knickerbocker".
To learn more about these, and other materials in our Local History Collection, contact our Local History Department via phone at (845) 563-3616, or via e-mail at [email protected]!
