Old Style Horseman Bridge

I do love a good historic bridge, and a bridge with a legend, a haunted legend, is the cherry on top, but is that what this bridge is, personally I don’t think so. The bridge we see today spans the Pocantico River along the east side of the historic and famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. While the structure appears to be mostly constructed of wood, the wood is not old and it is not the main structural element. A close inspection reveals modern hex head bolts holding the wood in place, likely not more than a few years, decades at most, old. Exploring under the bridge we find the main structural beams are not wood and the decking is wood topped but concrete below. So this is at best a modern bridge from the mid 1900s with decorative wood elements to give it the look and feel of a bridge we’d all expect in this location. However, the abutments are not concrete, but stone. Was stone used as a decorative element when it was constructed or was this bridge set atop older abutments replacing an earlier bridge?

Turning to historic maps we do not get clarification on this bridge. We know Sleepy Hollow Cemetery dates to the 1700s with 5 burials apparently occurring in the late 1600s. Yet the 1858 county map shows nothing here, no cemetery, not even the Old Dutch Church at the south end. The 1867 Beers map does show the cemetery with roads in it, but no suggestion of a bridge. THe same goes for the 1872, 1881, and 1900 maps. These all draw the cemetery in detail, showing how it expanded north in the late 1800s, taking over the estate known as Pocantico Grove, yet none show any river crossings. Historic aerial photos of this area only begin in the 1950s, when we’re confident the bridge did exist, so also no help.

Today the bridge links the old cemetery on the west side of the river with the newer cemetery on the east side. So a best guess is this bridge dates to roughly the oldest burials in the newer sections. I unfortunately did not explore that section of the cemetery and do not have a date to provide. Historic maps do show a road running north south adjacent to the aqueduct on its east side. This was known as Gorey Brook Road. However no bridge is shown crossing the river here. Gorey Brook Road did cross the river well north of this location exactly where modern route 117 exists today.

In the end we have a bridge from the 1900s that may sit atop older abutments, but late 1800s at best. Was there a bridge here in the early to mid 1800s, unfortunately there is no evidence to suggest there was. So in the end not the historic bridge many think it is, but a nice little bridge set in a historic and possibly haunted cemetery, so still pretty good.

Best thing to a headless horseman bridge experience! Feels like you’re in the story on this bridge located in the sleepy hollow cemetery. Enter at the Old Dutch Church South Entrance and stay straight and you’ll come upon this awesome spot!

This beautiful bridge is ideal for taking photos, and in the fall, the local fire department offers a haunted hayride that takes you across this bridge. If you're a Sleepy Hollow fan, I highly recommend going; you'll love this adventure. I really liked it.

It's a wooden bridge - that's about it! Not too exciting, but it's neat to a see. It's about a 10 minute walk from the beginning of the cemetery.

This little wooden bridge was installed to give tourists a more iconic looking bridge that fits in more nicely with the Legend Of Sleepy Hollow. You actually crossed the real bridge getting into the cemetery! It's great for photo opportunities and in the fall the local fire department does a haunted hayride that takes you across this bridge. If you are a fan of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow this is an absolute must stop off and see location.