The sequestered situation of this church seems always to have made it a favorite haunt of troubled spirits. It stands on a knoll, surrounded by locust-trees and lofty elms, from among which its descent, whitewashed walls shine modestly forth, like Christian purity, beaming through the shades of retirement. A gentle slope descends from it to a silver sheet of water, bordered by high trees, between which, peeps may be caught at the blue hills of the Hudson. To look upon this grassgrown yard, where the sunbeams seem to sleep so quietly, one would think that there at least the dead might rest in peace.

This quote from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving foreshadows the terrifying encounter at the edge of the church grounds between Ichabod Crane and the apparition known as the Headless Horseman. When it was published as a serial in 1819-20, Irving was living in England and was quickly hailed as the Father of American Literature. It remains America's best-loved ghost story and an attraction for visitors from around the world.

Irving got to know the church when he was 15, when he spent the summer in Tarrytown. The church was already quite old then. It was built in 1685 and formally organized as Dutch Reformed in 1697. It served as the congregation's home for imore than 150 years, until the congregation moved to a new building, but retained it for worship on summer Sundays and special holidays, As the oldest church in New York and a National Historic Landmark, it has long been a beloved community landmark.

As such, it gives the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns, which continues the congregation of Old Dutch, an opportunity for Christian outreach. The community is invited to worship services, organ concerts, tours, fests and other events open to the whole community. The Reformed Church partners with Historic Hudson Valley every fall to present several dramatic readings of "The Legend" and most recently also Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol."

In 2011, an engaging history of the church was published by Friends of Old Dutch. A book signing in October was well-attended and sales have been steady. The book is available from the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns and online at Amazon, as well as the Historic Hudson Valley bookstores at Philipsburg Manor and Sunnyside. Sales income goes toward preservation and upkeep of the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground.