<b>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving</b>&nbsp;<i><b>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</b></i>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;gothic story&nbsp;by American author&nbsp;Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled&nbsp;<i>The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.</i>&nbsp;Written while Irving was living abroad in&nbsp;Birmingham, England, &quot;The Legend of Sleepy Hollow&quot; was first published in 1819.<br /><br />Along with Irving&#39;s companion piece&nbsp;<i>Rip Van Winkle</i>,&nbsp;<i>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</i>&nbsp;is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during&nbsp;Halloween&nbsp;because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a&nbsp;Hessian soldier&nbsp;who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle. In 1949, the second film adaptation was produced by&nbsp;Walt Disney&nbsp;as one of two segments in the&nbsp;package film&nbsp;<i>The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad</i>.<br /><br />The story is set in 1790 in the countryside around the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (historical&nbsp;Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded&nbsp;glen&nbsp;known as&nbsp;Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow is renowned for its ghosts and the haunting atmosphere that pervades the imaginations of its inhabitants and visitors.<br /><br />Some residents say this town was bewitched during the early days of the Dutch settlement, while others claim that the mysterious atmosphere was caused by an old&nbsp;Native American&nbsp;chief, the &quot;wizard of his tribe ..