Thursday, May 14, 2009

Sleepy Hollow, NY: The Old Dutch Burial Ground

The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Old Dutch Burial ground are well worth a visit. You can spend hours rambling around the huge hilly beautiful grounds.

Since doing rubbings causes damage, they are not allowed. This is one of the oldest cemeteries in America.


Interesting details are everywhere.


This would have been a monument you'd simply pass by... except for the clock.


The fabulous thing about this place is the wildness of it. They are careful to mow around the wildflowers. Songbirds are everywhere, little wooded glens...a pleasant place to spend time.


Washington Irving's Headless Horseman begins his nightly ride from the Old Dutch Burial Ground. You can join a nighttime tour if you like spookiness.


The Old Dutch Church is still in use today.


The church sits on Route 9 ~ the main road through the Village of Sleepy Hollow. It's very easy to find (you can't miss it) and it's open all year.


The interior of the Old Dutch Church.


The more modern section of the cemetery is very pleasant to walk through ~ you can find the graves of cosmetics queen Elizabeth Arden and NY real estate baron Harry Helmsley (who controlled many properties in NYC, including The Empire State Building.) Rockefellers, Astors, lots of Van Tassels, Van Worts and other Dutch names. Andrew Carnegie is also buried here.

There is also a fine little museum and visitor's center onsite. There is also a section where Revolutionary War soldiers are buried.