Why did Washington Irving wrote Sleepy Hollow?
Also question is, what inspired the legend of Sleepy Hollow?
According to the New York Historical Society, others believe Irving was inspired by “an actual Hessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball during the Battle of White Plains, around Halloween 1776.” Irving's story takes place in the New York village of Sleepy Hollow, in Westchester County.
Also question is, was Sleepy Hollow a real place?
Sleepy Hollow Wasn't Always There As Irving writes it, Sleepy Hollow is an area within Tarrytown — but he totally made it up. Both Tarrytown and Kinderhook, New York, claim to be the actual site of the spooky story. Still, there was no town in Westchester County actually called “Sleepy Hollow” until 1996.
Washington Irving built the plot of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" around the theme of superstition. As a Yankee new to Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod is terrified of the stories about the Headless Horseman. When the Headless Horseman finally does appear, Irving suggests that it's merely Brom Bones in disguise.