While the Headless Horseman reigns (reins!) supreme in the pantheon of Sleepy Hollow Country’s spectral residents, the region’s haunted heritage is rich with other ghostly figures and eerie tales. The haunting allure of Sleepy Hollow extends far beyond Washington Irving’s famous legend, with spectral tales weaving through the centuries like whispers in the wind. Here, where history intertwines with the supernatural, we unveil some of the lesser-known ghosts that contribute to Sleepy Hollow’s reputation as one of America’s most haunted regions.
The Specter of Major John André
The ghost of Major John André, a British officer hanged as a spy during the Revolutionary War, is one of the most prominent spirits of Sleepy Hollow. In fact, it has a notable appearance in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.
André was captured and executed after conspiring with American general Benedict Arnold to surrender West Point to the British. His ghost is associated with Patriots Park, the site where he was apprehended. Witnesses never report seeing anything here. Rather, on crisp evenings towards the end of September, the sound of his horse’s hoof falls echo down the road and come to an abrupt stop at the exact spot of his capture. Read more about John André’s Ghost at Sleepy Hollow Country.
The Wailing Woman of Raven Rock
One of the most enduring ghost stories in Sleepy Hollow is that of the wailing woman of Raven Rock, a cliff located in Rockefeller State Park Preserve. We owe this ghost to author Edgar Mayhew Bacon, who recorded her legend in Chronicles of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow.
According to Bacon, a woman wandered off a path the night of a blinding snowstorm. She sought shelter from the storm in the ravine below Raven Rock, where the snow drifted over her. She never wakened from that night and ever since her spirit appears to lost wayfarers “with cries that sound like the screaming of the wind, and gestures that remind one of the sweep of snowdrifts, warning others away from the spot that she found so fatal.”
Read more about the Wailing Woman and the other ghosts of Raven Rock here.
The Ghosts of the Octagon House
Irvington’s Armor-Stiner House an architectural and visual gem. With a string of occupants as distinctive as the house itself, you would be perfectly reasonable to suspect a few lingered on after death.
Former owners Carl and Betty Carmer documented two presences. They described the primary house ghost as a floral presence, a pleasant aroma like an old-time garden flower. In a September 19, 1971 article in the New York Daily News, Betty quipped “We feel she’s a girl ghost because she has a fleeting, flowery scent—though you can’t always tell, these days.”
The Carmers described two other ghosts, a mother and daughter. The girl reputedly eloped by steamship to New York City with a forbidden lover. Tragically, the engine of the boat exploded, killing the girl and her beloved. Presented with the body of her daughter for burial, the distraught mother refused to accept.
Betty Carmer twice saw visions of the ghostly mother and daughter embracing in the drive to the mansion. Read the full story of the Ghosts of the Octagon House.
Haunted Taverns of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown
You’d think a place so heavily associated with Halloween might have a few spirits lingering around its local watering holes, and you would be right! There are three places between Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow where you can sip spirits with the spirits.
Set Back Inn on Tarrytown’s Main Street has been a local institution since 1959 and the building itself is reputed to have been a tavern even longer—since the mid-1800s! A bartender at the Set Back has gone on record with an apparition she saw toward the end of one late night shift, a dark-haired man in blue jeans and a t-shirt. Patrons have also reported odd happenings.
Two miles away is Goosefeather, a popular take on modern Cantonese fare located at the Tarrytown House Estate. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the King mansion, formerly home to Sybil Harris and Frederick King. While the resident ghost, that of Sybil, typically haunts the second floor of her former mansion, the outdoor bar at Goosefeather has a view of the window in the room she is said to inhabit.
Discover the third location when you read the full story of the Haunted Taverns of Sleepy Hollow Country! Find other popular places to enjoy a cocktail at our directory of Sleepy Hollow taverns, bars and cocktail rooms.
Sleepy Hollow Country’s haunted reputation is well-deserved, and the ghosts that haunt it are as diverse as they are numerous. From tragic brides and spectral soldiers to witchy herbalists and restless spirits, the tales of Sleepy Hollow go far beyond the Headless Horseman. These other ghosts add layers of depth to the region’s eerie ambiance, making it a rich tapestry of supernatural lore.
In Sleepy Hollow Country the past is never far away, and the spirits of those who once lived—and died—here continue to leave their spectral mark.
Read more about the other ghosts of Sleepy Hollow Country.