One of my all-time favorite films – ever since I was a kid – was Walt Disney’s animated version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was the Headless Horseman chasing Ichabod Crane through the cemetery woods that gave me the rush. I always thought it would be a gas to visit the actual Sleepy Hollow near Tarrytown, New York (yes, it’s a real place).
The next best thing that’s closer to home is in Washtenaw County. Here you’ll find a secluded glen that resembles the classic Sleepy Hollow.
In 1830, only Native Americans traveled through this area, looking for places to fish and hunt along the Raisin River. By 1833 the township was pretty much invaded & settled by the white man, mostly coming from New York (I wonder if they were from Tarrytown?).
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Originally called ‘Peppergrass’, and after going through township name suggestions, there was only one that made sense: “Sharon”. They chose that name because the other suggested names were amateurish, dark, non-original, and lazy. “Sharon” was picked because it evoked the image of a pretty lady…..plus, it was where some of the settlers originally hailed from: Sharon, Connecticut…