On The Trail Of The Headless Horseman, bringing literature to life.

Read more at www.gswmu.com

“The dominant spirit, that haunts this enchanted region… is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head.” –Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has always captured my imagination.  

First published by author Washington Irving in 1819, the tale of the Headless Horseman and his encounter with timid schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, has become part of American culture.

Set in a Dutch farming settlement in the New York Hudson Valley, Ichabod Crane attends a party at the home of the affluent Van Tassels where he falls in love with Katrina Von Tassel angering Brom Bones, a strapping trickster and rival suitor.

That night when Ichabod leaves he is chased by the Headless Horseman, a spirit of legend who pursues him to the to the old church bridge.  Unable to cross the Horseman throws his head at Ichabod Crane.  All that's found the next day is the schoolmaster’s hat and a broken pumpkin.

The legend has seeped into American culture gaining popularity as Irving became famous for his fictional tale Rip Van Winkle and biographies of George Washington.  He was the first American author to gain international fame and influenced the writing of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe.

I took Kayla and Ava to Sleepy Hollow to follow the trail of the Headless Horseman.  We walked to the old church where Ichabod Crane taught the choir and rang the rope bell he once used to call students to practice. We toured Washington Irving’s house, rumored to be the Von Tassel homestead.  We crossed the bridge where the Horseman threw his pumpkin head that fateful night.

Going to Sleepy Hollow really brought the story to life and sparked our creativity.  We had read the book together a week before the trip and were able to find many details it described.  I think most importantly we were able to see how Washington Irving used his environment to write about what he knew, letting his imagination blend fact and fiction into a compelling tale that give us a peek into a lifestyle lived long gone.

Blending fact and fiction in writing is a great way to use your imagination and learn something too.  We use this technique all the time when we write our Great Story World Mix-Up books taking our interest in Camelot, Sherlock Homes, Amelia Earhart, Dinosaurs and Greek myths and blending them into tales with a modern twist. 

We incorporate aspects of our life into stories that let us explore some of our favorite heroes and times.  It’s a really exciting prospect, and a really Big Idea.

 For More Books, Big Ideas, fall festivals, crafts, recipes and interactive on-line puzzles visit www.gswmu.com

Laura