The Headless Horseman: From Ghost Stories at Americanfolklore.net

A New York Ghost Story

retold by

S. E. Schlosser

One cold winter night, early in the New Year, a certain Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and started walking to his home in the hollow nearby. His path led next to the old Sleepy Hollow cemetery where a headless Hessian soldier was buried. At midnight, the Dutchman came within site of the graveyard. The weather had warmed up during the week, and the snow was almost gone from the road. It was a dark night with no moon, and the only light came from his lantern.

The Dutchman was nervous about passing the graveyard, remembering the rumors of a galloping ghost that he had heard at the tavern. He stumbled along, humming to himself to keep up his courage. Suddenly, his eye was caught by a light rising from the ground in the cemetery. He stopped, his heart pounding in fear. Before his startled eyes, a white mist burst forth from an unmarked grave and formed into a large horse carrying a headless rider.

The Dutchman let out a terrible scream as the horse leapt toward him at a full gallop. He took to his heels, running as fast as he could, making for the bridge since he knew that ghosts and evil spirits did not care to cross running water. He stumbled suddenly and fell, rolling off the road into a melting patch of snow. The headless rider thundered past him, and the man got a second look at the headless ghost. It was wearing a Hessian commander's uniform.

The Dutchman waited a good hour after the ghost disappeared before crawling out of the bushes and making his way home. After fortifying himself with schnapps, the Dutchman told his wife about the ghost. By noon of the next day, the story was all over Tarrytown. The good Dutch folk were divided in their opinions. Some thought that the ghost must be roaming the roads at night in search of its head. Others claimed that the Hessian soldier rose from the grave to lead the Hessian soldiers in a charge up nearby Chatterton Hill, not knowing that the hill had already been taken by the British.

Whatever the reason, the Headless Horseman continues to roam the roads near Tarrytown on dark nights from that day to this.

Author's Note: This is a retelling of the folktale which was used by Washington Irving to create his masterpiece, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

The Headless Horseman loses his head during the Battle of White Plains in the retelling of this story featured in Spooky New York by S.E. Schlosser. (Listen)

Comments

wow i sooo scared

Posted by: Anonymous | July 12, 2010 06:45 PM

the headlees horsemen is COOL!

Posted by: joey | July 18, 2010 11:30 AM

OMG THAT IS LIK TOTALLY SCARY MAN!!!

Posted by: Kristena | July 25, 2010 10:39 PM

I DID NOT NO KNOW HE WAS A HESSIAN SOLDIER,CREEPY!!!!GOOD THING
I LIVE IN PUERTO RICO!

Posted by: carlos | July 29, 2010 02:36 PM

when i was little my mom told me that story. now on halloween night i ask her to tell me that story. she never told me it was a hessian soldier.

Posted by: Anonymous | August 2, 2010 12:17 PM

headless horseman was an awesome movie wit johnny depp

Posted by: Chelsea | August 4, 2010 03:33 PM

omg my grandpa has been telling this story to me for 11 yrs.and he said his grandpa saw him in a corn field in alabama were we live and my grandpa will take me to the spot were his grandpa saw him and i sometimes see horse tracks that arent normal so ik from the bottom of my heart that the headless horesman is tottaly true believe me ik!

Posted by: taylor | August 5, 2010 01:22 PM

OMG R U KIDDING ME!?!?!?
DAT WAZ SOO WIRD!but it waz cool!

Posted by: not telling | August 22, 2010 02:04 PM

sweet

Posted by: fgg | August 26, 2010 12:45 PM

thats bull

Posted by: jasper | August 26, 2010 06:52 PM

nice short retale and i love the lady thats tell the stories!

Posted by: moonlight | August 29, 2010 02:58 PM

scaryyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: taytay | September 2, 2010 11:16 AM

i have heard of this a thousand times

Posted by: Anonymous | September 6, 2010 11:22 AM

my mom is obsessed with Halloween just like me, and we are IN LOVE this this story! i have everything sleepy hallow. it is one of my FAVORITE urban legends. :]

Posted by: Sydney | September 13, 2010 02:43 PM

its is such a good story

Posted by: mea | September 13, 2010 04:18 PM

damn i love the legend it always gives me the creeps but its so cool i love it

Posted by: erik | September 21, 2010 06:14 PM

Wow i like this story, people in w.v. Think it happened here to..

Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2010 11:51 AM

I live about an hour and a half from Terrytown, NY...this is such a big legend that every Halloween, they have a huge festival dedicated to it!!

Posted by: Samantha | September 29, 2010 07:06 AM

oww i peed my pants

Posted by: shawn | October 7, 2010 11:03 AM

so cool the movie and the book

Posted by: shawn | October 7, 2010 11:05 AM

so scary i though he was american

Posted by: mike | October 7, 2010 11:09 AM

coool i love this story! its a classic! although i wonder what the headless horseman looked like though

Posted by: sarah mattingly | October 7, 2010 11:18 AM

im doing a story for a contest and im using the headless horseman. its a holloween contest and this is just perfect. im sooo gonna bookmark this page. lol

Posted by: peyton | October 8, 2010 06:08 PM

thats pure scary man

Posted by: Anonymous | October 11, 2010 02:40 PM

omg...you people can't spell!!!

Posted by: Anonymous | October 11, 2010 07:27 PM

I SAW THE MOVIE BUT NEVER READ IT COOL

Posted by: Anonymous | October 13, 2010 06:17 PM

wow

Posted by: JaSoNsBaByGiRl | October 18, 2010 11:39 AM

My husband and I have been given the opportunity to play the Headless Horseman at Bethpage Restoration Village this year when they tell the story and re-create it! The story will be told twice a weekend for the next two left in this month. We are so excited to participate in this great urban legend. We have a black horse that will fill the bill perfectly!

Posted by: LadyD | October 19, 2010 09:52 AM

off the hook

Posted by: Anonymous | October 20, 2010 10:40 AM

awsome

Posted by: Anonymous | October 28, 2010 08:48 AM

Tis true, this sprit of the revolution, he has been seen in Salem N.J. by 7stars tavern, beware the woods and fields behold this spector

Posted by: Lick's Inc | October 28, 2010 08:02 PM

WOW its a pretty scary story for halloween!!! its giving me the CREEPS!!! :P

Posted by: ANNE | October 30, 2010 12:52 AM

omg that was sooo sspookie!!

Posted by: Anonymous | October 30, 2010 09:05 PM

the is crazzzy

Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2010 08:20 AM

SO SCARY, WOW WOW

Posted by: DanielC. | October 31, 2010 10:48 AM

Actully he died in ballymena in northen ireland on they crebilly road we went on yesterday we herd the gallops of the horse and we seen his grave also the white gates were his head got stuck in sooooooooooooo yoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!1

Posted by: Courtney Lynn | October 31, 2010 11:26 AM

not so cool

Posted by: kelly castaneda | October 31, 2010 04:43 PM

YiKES! I love this Story!

Posted by: regina r kirby | November 1, 2010 08:45 PM

Awesome!!!!!

Posted by: nailah grace | November 3, 2010 12:01 PM

this story is very interesting and very much wrtten like it was written on the day of halloween.
a very good and frightning story to read.

i love it .
katalina xxxxxxxx

Posted by: katalina pennycooke | November 3, 2010 04:31 PM

This is not true I live in tarrytown/sleepyhollow so

Posted by: Papalulu | November 5, 2010 04:14 PM

it was the best book i ever read. so scary but for halloween for sure. ahhhhhh

Posted by: katalina pennycooke | November 7, 2010 07:53 AM

Man i love this story and can be told it a million times!

Posted by: Devon | November 8, 2010 09:19 PM

that was so kooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it was amazing

Posted by: jacquee | December 3, 2010 08:34 PM

its awsome

Posted by: Anonymous | December 22, 2010 01:58 PM

Scary but awesome

Posted by: Anonymous | December 26, 2010 07:44 PM

I watched the movie, with my brother, sisters, and 16 year old cousin. It was scary...I was too scared to go out to the garage that night.

Posted by: K€€ly | January 2, 2011 01:47 PM

It is so cool and spooky.

Posted by: robin | January 10, 2011 06:33 PM

Thank goodness I live in California!

Posted by: Zack G | February 2, 2011 01:26 AM

luv it! so creepy

Posted by: Anonymous | February 3, 2011 12:12 PM

this was a scary story

Posted by: edith | February 4, 2011 11:29 AM

I would like to mention to taylor even though they posted forever and a day ago that if it was a phantom horse there would be NO footprints so it wass prbably a dofferent animal and the hoofprints would still look the same but other then that it was totally believable *Sarcasm fyi*

Posted by: Alice | February 9, 2011 05:49 PM

cool B)

Posted by: sumthin | February 10, 2011 01:19 PM

i love this story so much i am doing a report on it ,and it has my fav actor johnny depp in the movie

Posted by: **************** | February 17, 2011 09:52 AM

i love this story its soooo cool.iloooove the film.it gives me the creeps!

Posted by: Anonymous | February 27, 2011 05:45 AM

cool and awesome and a little bit scary but not bad

Posted by: Anonymous | February 27, 2011 03:22 PM

I love that tale!!!

Posted by: jesica ross | March 15, 2011 12:09 AM

Omg that is such a kool storie Thehe