I Saw Collinwood!

[Anubis]

My friend took his daughter to Salve Regina College on Saturday to see if she wants to attend school there and I went with them.  We went over to the Carey Mansion which is now a dormitory.  I was so excited to see it.  I think my friend thought I was alittle nuts, I was taking pictures like crazy and looking all around.  I even called my husband from my cell phone to tell him I was standing in front of Collinwood.  I was alittle suprised to see that it was run-down looking, especially since the other buildings on campus were in very good condition.  We walked along the cliff walk which was just beautiful.   The weather was perfect.  It was so warm.  We went to have lunch at the Black Pearl, but it was very crowded and there was a long wait.  Still I was just so exicted to see it.  I hope she decides to go to school there.  I'll be going up every visiting day.
Thanks to everyone on the board who gave me the info. about locations.  It really was a memorable day.

[Gerard]

Congratulations, Anubis!  You made "the pilgrimage"!  We all snap away like crazy on the camera whilst we're there; you shoulda seen me.  And it was dreary and overcast when I was there, so the setting was perfect.  When I went inside (along with a friend of mine who just had to endure my euphoria), a girl sitting behind a desk looked up and said with a wry smile:  "Dark Shadows fan."  They can smell us a mile away.

Gerard

[Julianka7]

I'm happy for you Anubis!
It sounds like you had a good time
Julianka

[CrazyJenny]

Every time I think of the Black Pearl I miss my lobster tails.  Anyone who hasn't been should at least walk by it.  You can literally smell the seafood just by walking past the door.

[kuanyin]

Oh, that would be SUCH fun! I am sorry to hear that it is going downhill though. I know the upkeep would be horrendous, but it certainly would be worth it. Is there a history of the building posted on the internet?

[Anubis]

I wasn't able to go into the Mansion, but on open house days you can.  I hope she decides to go back on an open house day.  I would love to see the inside even though I know it looks nothing like the set on TV.

You're right about the smell in the Black Pearl, CrazyJenny.  When I peeked inside I could smell the clam chowder.  I'm still drooling for it, it smelled so good.

[Gothick]

Anubis (love your name, btw--you named yourself after one of my favorite Deities!)

I'm very happy for you that you got to visit Seaview, or, as I like to think of it, Collinwood.

There are elements of the interiors that were copied (or sort of copied) by Sy Tomashoff in his sets for DS, which makes me think that he definitely spent some time walking around the house taking notes.  Maybe he didn't and it's all just a "coincidence" or a bit of unexpected astral travel for old Sy.

There are several doors in that house that look just like the doors at Collinwood, and some other details as well you might spot if you keep your eyes open.

I was told by an engineer whose wife is a fan that a really big storm might just sweep that house out to sea one day.  That's how rapidly it is deteriorating.  I think the school is just renting it from the Careys.  Nobody seems to be putting any money into taking care of the property. Very sad.

Gothick

[Midnite]

Congratulations, Anubis!  Trust me, no one here thinks you're nuts for getting excited about being there.  I'm happy you got to see it and recommend the pilgrimmage to other DS fans.  I've been there twice and still want to visit again (and again...).  I hope you'll be able to get inside some day.

Gothick, the Careys have done some repairs on the house since we were there in '99, but sadly there's still much to be done.  I noticed deterioration just in the 2 years between my visits.

[Anubis]

Hi Gothick - The name is actually the name of my cat.  My niece named him after the diety.  I call him Nubie for short.  The way he acts I believe he really thinks he's a god.

[RingoCollins]

The 'real' Collinwood is at the top of my 'things to see' list, so thanks for sharing your visit.  It's cool to get excited about something!

 The way he acts I believe he really thinks he's a god.

I have posted this before, but it seems to go here:

The difference between the way dogs and cats look at humans:

Dogs say:  You feed us, care for us, love us....you must be gods.

Cats say:  You feed us, care for us, love us....WE must be gods.

[I did my morning volunteer work at the Humane Society and we got a boat load of animals adopted!]

[jennifer]

i love going there too! it is such a beautiful spot
I also was thrilled to go to the "Collinsport Inn"
in Essex Ct of course my husband and daughter
thought i was nuts too it would be fun someday to do it with some fans! Glad you had a good time!

jennifer

[Anubis]

Cats say:  You feed us, care for us, love us....WE must be gods.

Ringo, that is too funny.  I have 5 "gods" at home.  One more demanding than the other.

That's great that you got alot of pets adopted at the shelter.  I talk to everyone until I'm blue in the face about getting their dogs and cats spayed/neutered.  Some people just don't get it.  I've yet to hear a good reason from anybody why they won't.

[Cassandra]

Ringo Wrote:

Cats say:  You feed us, care for us, love us....WE must be gods.

Now, Ain't that the truth!!  Im surrounded by a whole household of "gods" here. ;-)

[I did my morning volunteer work at the Humane Society and we got a boat load of animals adopted!]  

That's great Ringo!!  I wish others would take a lesson from you.

I talk to everyone until I'm blue in the face about getting their dogs and cats spayed/neutered.  Some people just don't get it.  I've yet to hear a good reason from anybody why they won't.

I try doing the same thing Anubus.  I've even gone as far as getting them a 'Friends of Animals' certificate so they can have their pets spayed/neutered at an affordable price. Most private Vets will accept this certificate now so there's no excuse not to have it done.   And yet when I ask them if they've got it done yet, they still say that they "haven't gotten around to it yet."  It gets me so annoyed!


Hey, Im glad that you got to see Collinwood and had a great time!   I'd love to get there someday!

[sheilamarch]

And it was dreary and overcast when I was there, so the setting was perfect.  

It was a bright, sunny, cloudless 96-degree day when I made the pilgrimage in 1999 (along with three busloads of DS fans). I took tons of pictures, but geez, I was LONGING for fog or something...