North Side of the Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow, New York, with the Old Dutch Burying Ground.

The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow is a 17th century church located in Sleepy Hollow, New York. The church and its three 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. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Sleepy Hollow is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. ... The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection , written while he was living in Birmingham, England and first published in 1820. ... Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is the resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in the adjacent Old Dutch Burying Ground. ...

Frederick Philipse I, Lord of Philipse Manor, owned the vast stretch of land spanning from Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx to the Croton River. After swearing allegiance and later being granted his Manorship from the English, he began construction of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. Although financing this project, work likely progressed slowly and was completed in 1685. The term Philipse Manor can be used in reference to several places in Westchester County, New York: Philipse Manor, a stop on the Hudson Line of the Metro-North Railroad. ... Spuyten Duyvil Creek, also known as the Harlem River Ship Canal, is a one-mile-long channel connecting the Hudson and Harlem Rivers in New York City, separating the island of Manhattan from the mainland. ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... The Croton River (pronounced Crow-ton) is a river in southern New York that begins where the East and West Branches of the Croton River meet a little ways downstream from the Croton Falls Reservoir. ...

The church's walls are about two-feet thick and are composed of local fieldstone.

Cast in Holland in 1685, the tiny church bell still hangs in the open-air steeple. Engraved on the bell is a verse from Romans 8:31, “Si Deus Pro Nobis, Quis Contras Nos?,” as well as Frederick Philipse’s monogram, “VF.” This monogram also appears on the weathervane above the steeple. The Epistle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. ...

The early history of the church and its members was recorded by Dirck Storm, in his book "Het Notite Boeck der Christelyckes kercke op de Manner of Philips Burgh," one of the nation's most valuable historical documents.

Restoration in the 1960s revealed that several timbers in the roof were original. The roof's gambrel design is common to the Friesland area of the Netherlands, the area from which Frederick Philipse emigrated. Philipse and members of his family are buried in the church crypt, while others of the congregation are buried in the churchyard. Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ...

When Rt. 9 shifted from the east to the west of the church, the main entrance was moved from the south side to the west end.^[1]

The church and its burial ground are owned by The Reformed Church of Tarrytown.

Notable burials in the church and yard include:

• Frederick Philipse (1626-1702) - formerly held 52,000 acres of land along the Hudson River, Philipsburg Manor; builder of the church of Sleepy Hollow
• Eleanor Van Tassel Brush (1763-1861) - one of several possible models for Katrina in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
• Joseph Youngs (1722-1789) and Susannah Youngs, (1732-1783) - the parents of Samuel Youngs, one of several possible models for Ichabod Crane. Samuel Youngs was originally buried here but his remains were removed to Ossining's Dale Cemetery
• Abraham Martling (1743-1830) - a possible inspiration for the character of Brom Bones in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
• Dirck Storm (1630-1715) - author of "Het Notite Boeck der Christelyckes kercke op de Manner of Philips Burgh," a book about the early years of the Old Dutch Church. He also served as Town Clerk in the early years of many New Amsterdam communities, including New Lots, Flatbush and Bedford, as well as Tax Collector for Frederick Philipse.

Frederick Philipse (1626-1702) Frederick Philipse I, Lord of Philipse Manor, owned the vast stretch of land spanning from Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx to the Croton River. ... Events September 30 - Nurhaci, chieftain of the Jurchens and founder of the Qing Dynasty dies and is succeeded by his son Hong Taiji. ... Events March 8 - William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow, New York. ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection , written while he was living in Birmingham, England and first published in 1820. ... // Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... by William J. Wilgus, artist chromolithograph, c. ... Ossining is a town located in Westchester County, New York. ... // Events February 14 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister February 21 - - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handels oratorio, Samson. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Events February 22 - Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists. ... // Events July 24 - Spanish treasure fleet of ten ships under admiral Ubilla leave Havana, Cuba for Spain. ... New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) was the name of the 17th century town which grew outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the New Netherland territory (1614–1674) which was situated between 38 and 42 degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic since 1624. ... Frederick Philipse (1626-1702) Frederick Philipse I, Lord of Philipse Manor, owned the vast stretch of land spanning from Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx to the Croton River. ...

Reference

Jeff Canning and Wally Buxton, History of the Tarrytowns. Harrison, NJ: Harbor Hill Books, 1975. 27-28

External links

• Old Dutch Burying Ground
• The Reformed Church of Tarrytown