The Original Ichabod Crane

The Original Ichabod Crane. . , Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a hapless schoolteacher haunted by a headless horseman. One of American literature's most iconic characters, Ichabod Crane was inspired by Irving's friendship with a real-life Kiderhook schoolmaster., Meeting Merwin , While visiting Kinderhook in 1809, Washington Irving (1783-1859) befriended the local one-room schoolhouse teacher, a man named Jesse Merwin. The two twenty-something intellectuals bonded over fishing trips and long discussions about politics, forming a friendship that lasted the rest of their lives. Ten years after this visit, Irving published The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in a collection of stories and essays titled The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. A critical and commercial hit, the book became one of America's first bestsellers., Inspiring Ichabod , Today, Jesse Merwin is remembered as the inspiration for Ichabod Crane. Former U.S President Martin Van Buren, a friend of Jesse Merwin's in Kinderhook, wrote in 1846 that Merwin was the "pattern" for the character. Late in his life, Irving himself inscribed a letter from Merwin with the following note: "From Jesse Merwin, the original Ichabod Crane." The Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse, built c. 1850 to replace the early log schoolhouse where Jesse Merwin taught, pays tribute to this literary legacy.,

"This is to certify that I have known Jesse Merwin, Esq., of Kinderhook, for about a third of a century, and believe him to be a man of honor and integrity; and that he is the same person celebrated in the writings of Washington Irving under the character of Ichabod Crane in his famous Legend of Sleepy Hollow." , - Martin Van Buren

, [Captions:] , Jesse Merwin , Just like the fictional Ichabod Crane, Jesse Merwin - shown in the photograph at right , was a native of Connecticut who taught the children of Dutch settlers at a rural Hudson Valley schoolhouse. In 1834, he honored his longtime friend by naming one of his sons Washington Irving Merwin. photo: Jesse Merwin as an older man, c. 1840-50. CCHS Collection., Ichabod's Namesake , Washington Irving drew inspiration for his fantastical stories from people and events he encountered throughout his life. While serving as an aide-de-camp during the War of 18 12, Irving met with the commanding officer of the fortifications at Sackets Harbor, New York. The man's name? Ichabod Crane photo: Colonel Ichabod Crane, c. 1848 daguerreotype. Library of Congress, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) created this illustration of Ichabod Crane in 1937. Norman Rockwell Museum