Washington Irving's Sunnyside

Sent to Tarrytown as a young boy to escape an epidemic of yellow fever in New York City, Washington Irving was so impressed with the Hudson Valley's landscape and lore that he drew upon the region to write The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle years later while living in England. These works, extremely popular in Europe, greatly enhanced his literary reputation both at home and abroad. America's "Founding Father of literature," Irving was the first American to make his living from his pen. When he returned to the Hudson River Valley in the 1830s, it was as an internationally recognized writer, diplomat, world traveler, and celebrity.

At Sunnyside, Irving fashioned for himself no less than a three-dimensional autobiography. The spaces inside the architecturally eclectic structure – a riot of influences from his time abroad – contain Irving's possessions and represent the writer's many talents and passions. Click for further reading.