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