Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Sleepy Hollow, New York

As the legend goes, in a churchyard in the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Each crisp autumn night, a Hessian Trooper arises from his grave in search for his missing head. Decapitated by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War, he seeks those unfortunate souls in his path, just in case they might be his own. The only saving grace is that if you find yourself in his path to race to the wooden crossing bridge where he is barred from crossing to safety. For hundreds of years, the legends of Sleepy Hollow, taken from other Europe, and legends of similar fates are retold each autumn season.  Fans of Washington Irving's story every Halloween head to the town of Tarrytown in New York, where they can now find Sleepy Hollow. First known as North Tarrytown, the quaint suburb in New York saw its renaming in 1996 to reconnect with its legendary tale. 

The cemetery where the famous short story takes place might not truly have a headless Hessian Trooper on the prowl for his head each evening. Yet, the beautiful grounds and famous interred residents make it a showstopping visit. Oddly, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery isn't the small, quaint cemetery we all think it is from the storybook legend. Comprised of 90 acres of land established in 1849 with around 45,000 souls laid to rest, its quite massive. If the acreage isn't impressive, its residents should be. Washington Irving, who penned the headless horseman's tale, is one of its famous interred. Irving was an American short-story writer who also wrote Rip Van Winkle, historical biographies, and a history of 15th-century Spain. He was born and raised in Manhattan but temporarily moved to England in 1815 for family business. After publishing his first works in 1802, he continuously published works for the rest of his life. Just eight months before his death, he completed a five-volume biography of George Washington at the age of 76. What made Irving such a different American writer in his time he was the first to find acclaim in Europe. During his time abroad living in England, Irving published The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. It was a collection of short stories, two were The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, that would become his most famous works. After returning to America, he penned the novel " A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker," his first major novel. Before its publication, he began a hoax using the New York Evening Post, seeking information on Diedrich Knickerbocker. Readers became intrigued, and its popularity led to New York City officials offering a reward for any information on Knickerbocker. When he finally published the novel, it quickly became a bestseller. New York residents took the name, and it became a nickname for Manhattan residents, eventually leading to the New York Knickerbockers basketball team adopting the name. Irving’s stories did something many others didn't; they featured towns or settings from America, often retelling European folk tales in a new fashion. His fame and admiration from other European writers helped encourage other American writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Herman Melville, and even Edgar Allan Poe. Ironically, Poe thought he should be given credit for being an innovative writer, but lacked sophistication. Washington Irving passed away on November 28 in 1859. But his legend of Sleepy Hollow lives on in infamy and is a favorite among many during Halloween. Unknown to many by her real name, Elizabeth N. Graham is a famous resident of Sleepy Hollow. While Graham's fame is from an entirely different era than Irving's, she's quite important. Many know the Canadian American businesswoman as Elizabeth Arden, the founder of The Elizabeth Arden, Inc. cosmetic empire in America. Born on a farm in Canada, Elizabeth's family did something a little odd in the 1870's they immigrated back to England, where many were fleeing from it. Due to a rich Aunt willing to assist her and her siblings by paying for their education. Elizabeth eventually would drop out of nursing school to become a bookkeeper for her elder brother in Manhattan at E. R. Squibb, a pharmaceutical company. Which would forever change her life. She then would spend hours in their lab learning about skincare and work as a beauty culturist or "treatment girl" for Eleanor Adair. Setting the foundations for her own company. To save money on a salon sign, she just used her first name, Elizabeth, and took the name Arden from a nearby farm, thus bringing Elizabeth Arden into existence in 1910.  Two years later, she traveled to France to further her knowledge in beauty. Upon her return to America, she had a collection of rouges and tinted powders that she had created herself. Then, sought to expand her empire further, opening salons across the world.  Elizabeth's brand would be responsible for changing how society and women perceived makeup. Transforming it from its original tawdry associations with the lower class and women of the night. It then became necessary for a ladylike image of proper and appropriate women. Yet she didn't stop there. Her salons would not only sell products but also teach women how to apply them and which products to purchase. She would pioneer concepts of color theory in makeup, scientific formulas of cosmetics, beauty makeovers, and stress the harmony of colors. She was awarded by the French government in 1962, the Légion d'Honneur for her contributions to the cosmetics industry. Elizabeth was also interested in horse racing, owning her own stable, Maine Chance Farm, that did very well for itself with stake winners, one being the 1947 Kentucky Derby winner Jet Pilot. Yet it's her transformation of cosmetics for won and that became the industry we see today that marks her place in history. Elizabeth passed away on October 18th in 1966. She is buried in the Graham plot in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. It's no wonder that due to Sleepy Hollow's close location to New York City, some of its high society might find their way into its cemetery. Prominent and, at one time, one of the wealthiest families in America, two of Astor's can be found within. Brooke and Vincent Astor are permanent residents and, sadly, the last of the Astor family. Vincent was the eldest son of John Jacob Astor IV. His father was thought to be the richest man in the world at one time and was one of the most prominent American passengers aboard the RMS Titanic. Where Vincent's father met his Grim fate, going down with the ship. This, then of course, led to Vincent inheriting the entire Astor fortune. Vincent would go on and be involved in similar interests like his father, belonging to the New York Society of Colonial Wars and joining the US. Naval Reserve. He, however, is more remembered for his philanthropy. Inheriting a massive fortune at the age of 20, you'd assume Vincent would be a spoiled and careless child with his money, but he was not at all. He decided, with his father's passing, to drop out of Harvard University and change his family's image. Instead of the aloof, miserable slum landlord, he sold any shady businesses and invested in reputable ones. Then also taking time to help others less fortunate, as well as building playgrounds and better housing. Vincent was also a member of the US Naval Reserve did served during World War I. He was assigned to help guard the bridges and aqueducts of New York City. Then again called up for duty in World War II. He served with the rank of commander and was given the assignment as Area Controller for New York. Before the war in 1938, Vincent went on a secret civilian mission for President Roosevelt, sailing his yacht the Nour Mahal to Japan. He helped gather intelligence around the Marshall Islands about the Japanese naval operations. Eventually, he handed his yacht over in 1940 to the coast guard to help guard America. The ship is sadly no longer in existence after it was decommissioned in 1946 and then sold for scrap in 1964. Although not a lustrous naval career, Vincent helped provide information on USSR’s account balances throughout the war. This was due to his access to Chase Bank and reported weekly updates to the US Treasury from the beginning of the war till at least 1945. He was also the one to suggest in 1942 to equip fishing boats with radios to report U-boat sightings. Yet Vincent's personal life wasn't one of fairy tales. On the day of his wedding in 1914 to his first wife, he had taken ill with the mumps that would also leave him sterile. Perhaps a sign it wasn't meant to be, they divorced in 1940. He then went on in the same year to marry his second wife, but again headed for a divorce in 1953.  Oddly, before agreeing to the divorce, his only condition was for his second wife to find her replacement. Perhaps the 3rd time is a charm; he married Roberta Brooke Russell. Whom he would remain married to for the rest of his life, and who is buried with him in Sleepy Hollow. He and Brooke established the Vincent Astor Foundation, which was created to help give back to New York City. On February 3, 1959, Vincent passed away from a heart attack. He left his entire fortune of the Vincent Astor Foundation to his wife, Brooke. She carried on his philanthropic work till her death in 2007, when she passed away at 105 years old.  

Another resident of Sleepy Hollow that you might not know by name but who affects your everyday life is Leo Baekeland. Baekeland was the "Father of the Plastics Industry", inventing Velox photographic paper in 1893 and Bakelite in 1907. Bakelite is a versatile plastic that is non-flammable and inexpensive. His creation marked the beginning of the modern plastics industry as we know it today. Baekeland's story is one for American storybook’s being born in Belgium to the son of a cobbler and housemaid. He then would go on to study chemistry and acquire a PhD maxima cum laude from Ghent University at the age of 21. He then, with his wife on a travel scholarship in 1889, would travel to England and then America, where he would meet Professor Charles F. Chandler of Columbia University and Richard Anthony, of the E. and H.T. Anthony photographic company. Chandler, during their meeting, convinced Baekeland to come permanently to the United States to work for Anthony. After working for Anthony for a few years, the scientist decided to part ways. This was when he developed Velox photographic paper, which he sold to a man named George Eastman for a sum of 1 million dollars. Eastman's name might not be too familiar to many, but his company, Eastman Kodak Company, should be. Baekeland's paper would forever change photography and bring into existence camera film as we know it today, Kodak film. Then came Baekeland's discovery of Bakelite. Bakelite was based on a chemical combination of phenol and formaldehyde  , two compounds that were derived from coal tar and wood alcohol (methanol), in his era. His discovery would change the world, replacing shellac and hard rubber parts in the electric power industry at first. Then in the 1920s, it was used for knobs, dials, circuitry panels, cabinets for radios, and electrical systems of automobiles. After a few years in the 1930's Bakelite made its way into fashion, used for costume jewelry and other novelties. Baekeland's Bakelite was used everywhere in various fashions. He, of course, patented his discovery and founded the General Bakelite Company in 1910. He would go on to serve as the president of the American Chemical Society in 1924 and won various awards for Bakelite. In his later years, Baekeland grew eccentric and had family disagreements with his son over his heir’s salary. In 1939, after 100's of patents and historical breakthroughs in science, he sold General Bakelite Company to Union Carbide at the advice of his son. He then sadly became a recluse and passed away on February 23, 1944. If you haven't caught on, listening to The Grim, I normally like to keep the historical biography to around 3 famous residents of the gate we've opened for the week. Which, as much as I'd like to cap it out to what we have already, I must add another Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie's life and contribution to history isn't just a stuffy rich shirt. Originally born and raised in Scotland, his family didn't move to the States till he was 12. His upbringing in Scotland was what truly shaped Carnegie for his success in America. His uncle, who was more like a surrogate father to him, was Scottish political leader George Lauder Sr. He introduced him to historical Scottish heroes such as Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, and Rob Roy. He also lent the Carnegie family money to help them move to America, hoping for a better life. This was during the times when Scotland was in starvation, and America was held as the promised land for opportunity and a new life. Many families like the Carnegies were struggling to make ends meet. Going where they believed work was plentiful, they ended up in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in 1848. Andrew and his father struggled to find jobs at the Anchor Cotton Mills, a Scottish-owned facility. This is where Carnegie's first job was as a bobbin boy changing spools of thread in a cotton mill, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week for $1.20 per week. Soon, he captured the attention of  John Hay, a Scottish manufacturer of bobbins, who offered him a job for $2.00 per week   , but the work was even worse. He was employed to run a small steam engine and to fire the boiler in the cellar of the bobbin factory. Yet it was his next job that really started to change Carnegie's luck. He became a telegraph messenger boy for the Pittsburgh Office of the Ohio Telegraphy Company due to a recommendation from his uncle. Using the job, he built connections, meeting many of Pittsburgh's businessmen. He was promoted within a year to operator and saw other doors also open. Befriending Colonel James Anderson, he was given the use of his library of 400 volumes every Saturday night. This helped Carnegie become a "self-made man" in both his economic development and his intellectual and cultural development. This experience was imprinted on Carnegie and made him forever grateful to Colonel Anderson, and was quoted saying he "resolved, if ever wealth came to me, [to see to it] that other poor boys might receive opportunities similar to those for which we were indebted to the nobleman  . He then went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad, where Carnegie would see his fortunes change. He started as a secretary/telegraph operator at a salary of $4.00 per week and built his way up from there. By 1859, he was just 24 years old and became the superintendent of the Western Division. He then, during the Civil War, became the Superintendent of the Military Railways and the Union Government's telegraph lines in the East. Helping open new rail lines into Washington, D.C.. After the war, he decided to leave the railway business and move into ironworks, and founded the Keystone Bridge Company and built his first steel plant. He would go on to create the steel empire controlling the most extensive integrated iron and steel operations ever owned by an individual in the United States. Carnegie also purchased at low cost the most valuable of the iron ore fields around Lake Superior, setting himself up for more success later on. He also invested in other businesses during the years, such as Columbia Oil Company, which would help build his wealth beyond his steel empire. During his business adventures, he started giving back to the community, constructing commodious swimming-baths for the people of his hometown in Dunfermline in 1879. In the following year, Carnegie gave £8,000 for the establishment of a Dunfermline Carnegie Library in Scotland. In 1884, he gave $50,000 to Bellevue Hospital Medical College (now part of New York University Medical Center) to create a histological laboratory, now called the Carnegie Laboratory. During his lifetime, it’s estimated he gave over 350 million dollars way showing his philanthropic efforts. He established libraries all over the world, aid for spelling reform, and other numerous causes. It's pointless for me to attempt to sum up Andrew Carnegie's accomplishments, donations and life's work. The list goes on and on, and it’s worth digging into on your own. His legacy was built on hard work and being a shrewd businessman makes him just as legendary as the cemetery he resides in. Andrew Carnegie passed away on August 11, 1919, in Lenox, Massachusetts, at his Shadow Brook estate, of Bronchial Pneumonia. At the time of his passing, he had been estimated to have given away 350 million dollars, roughly 6 billion dollars today. After his death, an astounding  $30 million he had left over was given to foundations, charities, and pensioners. When you've got two Astors and the Andrew Carnegie, it’s gotta be hard to top these prominent families in a cemetery, right? For Sleepy Hollow, it’s not only residing within is William Rockefeller Jr.. Cofounder of co-founder of Standard Oil with his brother, John Davison Rockefeller. Rockefeller Jr had an interesting start to life, being the middle child of a large family, and his father was a con artist. Yet, in an era of the self-made man, he and his old brother were not short of ambition. He first started as a clerk for a miller in Cleveland, Ohio, and then joined his brother's produce commission business, and then everything took off. Being very adept in business matters, he took charge of the company's export business. Eventually, the company would become the Standard Oil Company. Being the son of a con man, Rockefeller Jr. had a few schemes up his sleeve. In 1899, he and other principals from the Standard Oil Company and Anaconda Copper Company founded Marcus Daly formed the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company. They intended to control and copper industry and devise a get-rich-quick scheme for 39 million dollars. You see, the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company was nothing but a paper Company, complete with dummy directors who were their clerks from the Standard Oil Company. Using the bank system against itself, they first purchased Anaconda Properties from Daly for $39 million, with a check that was to be deposited in the bank and remain there for some time, due to them being friends with the bank owners. Then went on to claim their paper Company was worth 75 million dollars, using this certain amount for good reason. They were able to borrow $39 million from the bank using Amalgamated Copper as collateral due to the company's worth being so high, and quickly bought the Anaconda Copper Company. But how could they pay back Daly with just a paper Company not truly worth 75 million? Ingeniously, they then sold $75 million worth of stock in Amalgamated Copper to the public. The scheme made them a total profit of 36 million dollars in cash.  In 1912, due to the large profits Rockefeller was investigated by a committee for allegedly earning $30 million in profit through cornering the copper market and "synchronizing with artificially enforced activity" in Amalgamated Copper stock in the New York Stock Exchange. Yet, he wasn't the only businessman to create such schemes and corner a market. Due to other individuals like J. P. Morgan, George F. Baker, and James Stillman, the committee known as the Pujo Committee opened the public's eyes to such schemes. Of course, because no laws were broken, they couldn't do a thing about their past actions. But the findings did inspire public support to ratify the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913 that authorized a federal income tax, the passage of the Federal Reserve Act, and the addition to the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914. William Rockefeller Jr. passed away on June 24 in 1922, due to a cold he caught on a road trip with his brother John and nephew John Jr in New York. His estate, left to his descendants, was a gross total of 102 million dollars. Lasting legacies seem to be a common occurrence of Sleepy Hollow residents, but do any linger on within? Besides the Headless Horseman, Sleepy Hollow also has the legend of the Bronze Lady. Within the grounds is a mausoleum for Civil War General Samuel Thomas. He also amassed a great fortune from coal and the railroads after the war. Yet when he passed in 1903, his widow Ann thought her late husband needed more than a mausoleum to mark his plot in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Seeking out a top sculptor of her time, she commissioned Andrew O'Connor Jr. to create a masterpiece for her husband's grave. Creating a larger than life bronze won and seated across from his mausoleum the sculptor was gigantic. But Ann hated his creation, saying it was too depressing, and she was hoping for something happier. O'Connor Jr then recreated a happier head for the Bronze Lady and showed his latest work to the Widow. Who now loved the second version, but full of arrogance, he took the redesigned head and smashed it on the floor. Telling Ann he would never add it to his sculpture.

True to his word, he never did. Years later, when Ann was finally buried with her husband, O’Connor’s original work was on display for all mourners to see. Perhaps this led to the Bronze Lady legends, several in existence. One claim is that if you climb into her lap, then jump down and spin around three times, then look at her, you'll be cursed forever. The second is that if you hop into her lap and then attempt to peek into the mausoleum, you'll see a ghost inside. The final tale is that if you touch her face, you invite a curse, or insult her, you risk bad luck. Many seeking the headless horse on his midnight run might be disappointed by the elusive ghost of Sleepy Hollow. Yet the graves of John Dustin Archbold, Viola Allen, Donn Barber, Thomas Beer, Henry E. Bliss, Holbrook Blinn, Alice Brady, Edward “Major” Bowes, Walter Chrysler, Francis Pharcellus Church, Harry Helmsley, and even more prominent figures can be found within Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. A Town known for its Headless Hessian horsemen certainly has so much more to offer. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery each autumn offers many touring options, and also an evening lantern tour, but book ahead. The lure of the legend of Sleepy Hollow causes the town to be a fall destination rival to Salem, with millions coming and going each year. Being mindful, the cemetery also has quite a few rules and regulations, so be sure to double-check before a visit. And if you do find yourself face-to-face with the headless horseman himself, remember the crossing bridge, or you might be haunting Sleepy Hollow Cemetery next!