Like most articles on "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," this article is full of popular misconceptions. First of all, the story wasn't set in the Westchester County village that today is named Sleepy Hollow. It was set about a hundred miles northwest, on the other side of the Hudson, in a mythical locale in the Catskills. Part of Tarrytown (near Washington Irving's hometown, today known as Irvington) incorporated as a separate village long after Irving's time and renamed itself after the tall tale. It has milked the association for tourism dollars ever since, counting on people not to do careful research.

Secondly, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is NOT a story of the supernatural, as it's generally depicted by those who haven't read it. It's a story of an elaborate, rather cruel but funny practical joke played by a soon-to-be-wed couple to drive off the young woman's rather pompous and clueless rival suitor. Sorry to disappoint, but there are no "real" ghosts in it. The Headless Horseman is just Brom Bones with his coat buttoned up over his head, chucking a pumpkin at the highly superstitious Ichabod Crane as he passes through a cemetery.

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