Each fall, tens of thousands of people from around the world flock to Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, New York to visit the burial ground made famous in Washington Irving’s 1819 tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In Irving’s tale of “the Headless Horseman,” a German soldier is said to return to the grave-site, in search of his head that was lost during America’s Revolutionary War.
The famous graveyard was also known for another resident, Hulda of Bohemia, a woman who lived in the woods of Sleepy Hollow during the 1770s. She is also believed to be the “High German witch doctor” Irving referenced in his Headless Horseman tale as having bewitched Sleepy Hollow so that a “drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land.”
Edgar Mayhew Bacon’s 1897 book Chronicles of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow mentions Hulda as the woman whose basket weaving and healing abilities led to her being shunned as witch, while her skills as a sharpshooter made her a Revolutionary War hero.
Because of her bravery, the Sleepy Hollow minister approved her burial. Since she wasn’t believed to be Christian, she was buried right outside of the consecrated church burial ground without a headstone.
Hulda’s story came into prominence after Jonathan Kruk’s 2011 book Legends and Lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley included a chapter on the “Witch of Sleepy Hollow.” An orange flag stick marked the spot where she was buried for many many years, and was regularly stolen as a souvenir by cemetery visitors.
In 2019, The Old Dutch Church honored Hulda with a Remembrance Service and a gravestone in a prominent location in the cemetery. Now a popular visitor destination throughout the year, Hulda’s gravestone receives offerings of coins, stones, and herb bundles.
“Some people would come looking for the witch, especially at this time of the year, and those of us who knew her history felt it was important to give her proper recognition as a patriot, says Deb McCue, head docent of the Old Dutch Church. “For me, honoring Hulda also honors the memory of the nameless women who contributed to the Revolution as soldiers, spies, nurses, and cooks, as well as those who watched over their farms and families during those harsh and frightening times.”
The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Dutch Reformed Church (Sleepy Hollow), is a 17th-century stone church located on Albany Post Road in Sleepy Hollow. It and its five-acre churchyard feature prominently in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The churchyard is often confused with the contiguous but separate Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
“When Hulda’s gravestone was erected in 2019, I was fascinated with the story,” storyteller Carla Lynne Hall said. As her husband Jim Keyes was the daytime storyteller at the Old Dutch Church for its Legend of Sleepy Hollow event, she spent a lot of time exploring Hulda’s history. “I found myself retelling her story at her gravesite to anyone who’d listen.”
Photo of Hulda of Bohemia Gravestone at Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow courtesy Dani Spencer.
I had the privilege of worshipping at the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow and its precious burying ground in July of 2006. I also visited the nearby mill and Washington Irving’s home, Sunnyside, in Tarrytown. As a reader, history lover and illustrator, I have since read much of the material I’ve received from the famous and sacred place so well described by Mr. Irving. I can tell you that the backstories are among the most inspirational ones I have ever read and shared. It should be noted that Hulda seems to have been a Christian as after she was shot by the British, her militia took her back to her cabin is which they found a Holy Bible with her Will inside leaving her small store of gold to the widows and their families. Certainly, Hulda learned her skills from the Indians and freely helped her community as Jesus did. We all should be as loving as this dear woman and as Jesus forgave the misunderstandings and just continued to love. She is such a great example to all people as she read and lived up to the Godly ideals. The other folks who were models for the other characters were very impressive as well. Abraham Van Tassel had the real nickname of Brom Bones, who dressses as Headless Horseman in the tale, took his family to the church for every service and read the scriptures for the pastor! The original church bell still sounds wonderful! Please read about the whole group online and in the available books! Irving’s grave overlooks those of his beloved characters and other loved rustlics!