In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Ichabod is deeply impressed by the home of Baltus Van Tassel and his family. He looks at the fields, the orchard, and the farm animals, imagining the fine produce they would yield for the winter. When he enters the farmhouse, he is even more delighted by the splendor of the furniture, the decorations, and the abundance of food in store. Although his young pupil, Katrina Van Tassel, is pretty and agreeable, it is upon seeing her father's wealth that Ichabod starts to daydream about marrying her and living forever in the midst of this plenty.

It is typical of Irving's portrayal of Sleepy Hollow that the Van Tassels are not wealthy by urban standards or by those of the great rural landowners. They have plenty of apples, wool, and geese, but not gold and silver. The fact that they are regarded as so rich is further proof of the relative simplicity of the people in Sleepy Hollow, which is shared by Ichabod himself. Ichabod, of course, is very poor, and does not even have a permanent place to stay. The solidity of the Van Tassels' home is therefore particularly impressive to him, and he cannot help contrasting the comfort and ease of their lives with his own poverty.