"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story about Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher from Connecticut who travels to "Sleepy Hollow," a Dutch settlement in New York, in the year 1790 to court Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a wealthy farmer. The area is notoriously haunted and, during a gathering, Katrina's other suitor and Ichabod's competitor, Abraham Van Brunt, tells ghost stories. Katrina is not receptive to Ichabod's advances and, as he sadly rides home, he sees the legendary headless horseman. The next day, Ichabod has disappeared.
From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow ... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.
— Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
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