Washington Irving lived in Tarrytown N.Y. (slightly north
of N.Y.C.) however he did travel to many places within the state. One of the best
examples of how Irving's writing was affected by his experiences in N.Y. is reflected in
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. While in Staten Island N.Y. Irving
attended a local church service and decided to walk through the church graveyard. There
he noticed a tombstone inscribed with the name Ichabod Crane. Irving thought the name
strange, eerie and unforgettable.
In addition, Irving's
writings actually gave N.Y. and for that matter, the new nation a literature Americans
could call their own. His work really described what N.Y. looked like and sounded like.
Through his work Americans were able to read about the place that they lived in....not
some place in Europe.
F.Y.I.- As a Staten Islander I can
tell you although local historical groups have replaced the original limestone tombstone
(limestone weathers badly and letters fade with time) Ichabod Crane's marker is still in
that same church graveyard. Washington Irving's story immortalized that local Staten
Island name.
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