| Dutch
on the Hudson Beacon, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Poughkeepsie, NY |
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We attended a Halloween fair held at Philipsburg Manor, just across the street from the Union Church in Sleepy Hollow. After watching a video-telling of Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow", we walked the manor grounds that were owned by Frederick Philipse in the early 1700's. His 90,000-acre estate was worked by 200 tenants, including about 80 slaves, and was a self-sufficient, profitable entity. We spent our day there listening to folk music, storytelling, playing ninepins, feeding cows, touring the manor house and mill, and munching cornbread made from mill-ground corn. Later, we took a walk on the Sleepy Hollow Trail, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Headless Horseman. We had an evening of spooky fun at the Verplanck family homestead at Mount Gulian Historic Site. Gulian Verplanck was a prominent Dutch merchant who built his home around 1735. On Halloween, we visited the Samuel B. Morse home and went trick-or-treating at a big mall. It was an out-of-the-ordinary Halloween weekend and one we won't soon forget. |
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These women were demonstrating some of the jobs that would have been part of life in the 17th century. They were in a replica of a tenant house that would have been rented by a farmer, along with a section of land, from the lord of the manor. They were spinning wool and drying herbs for medicinal use. |
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Amanda said, "These guys told a very funny story about a goose that was cooked but came back to life with the help of his friends. There were others who sang and had a Headless Horseman toy that they used to make trotting sounds. Harrison and I got to hold up posters for a song called "The 12 Hours of Halloween". It was like the 12 Days of Christmas, but very funny." |
This spooky-funny tale is a classic for a very good reason. Read it with your family this Halloween! |
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"Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. . ." these three witched told spooky and funny stories the night before Halloween in an old barn. Harrison said, "One of the witches told a story about the house at Mt. Gulian and cast some 'spells'. Another read 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe. The third witch told a story about her sister being killed by a statue from a church." |
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Even though this was a very different way of spending the holiday than
the kids were used to, Amanda seems to have been satisfied: "I
liked celebrating Halloween at the mall and I got a lot of candy from
different stores. Harrison and I were dressed up like Native Americans
and we met a boy who was dressed like Harrison. His mom had made his costume
too. This was a great way to have a safe Halloween. We're grateful to the merchants who hosted the event. |
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Rob and Harrison toured this inventor's house. "It was a lot about his house and his lifestyle and not his inventions. They talked a lot about the Youngs who lived in the house after Mr. Morse died. There was the Morse room that had several versions of the telegraph that he invented. There was even a typewriter telegraph that tapped the sequence of the letter when you pressed its key." Amanda and Susan took a long walk around the forested grounds on a trail that led to the Hudson River. "I went on a very long walk with mom. We saw lots of cool fall leaves and some benches made of logs. The river was big and we saw three trains go past." |
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a Face |
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Mount Gulian Historic Site is in Beacon, NY just across the Hudson River from Newburgh. Samuel F.B. Morse Historic Site is in Poughkeepsie, NY. |
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For Younger Readers |
For Older Readers |
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This
is a fun area of the country, steeped in history and legend. We spent
a couple days soaking in the atmosphere of this quaint section of America
that was colonized by Dutch settlers in the 1600's. We timed our visit
to coincide with Halloween to maximize the spook factor of Sleepy Hollow.
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Samuel
F.B. Morse
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Hikes With Children in the Catskills & Hudson River Valley
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The
Complete Tales of Washington Irving