Haunted Houses in Newport I have lived in
I went to college at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. As most of the campus is made up of gilded age mansions, carriage houses and stables, it was an amazing place to go about daily life. The world outside stood still, and at the end of the day, it was nice to come “home” to your 60-room mansion overlooking the ocean! Needless to say, none of us will probably ever live like that again (though I can hope and dream). Architecturally speaking, the campus is an architectural treasure. Here are some of the places I was fortunate enough to have at one time called “home.”
Carey Mansion–this was an unforgettable experience. Hidden doors, secret passageways, blocked off rooms, staircases leading to multiple attics, medieval fireplaces, stained glass from the 16th century…and, as it turned out, a ghost or two who kept things interesting on still, quiet summer days.
The exterior of Carey Mansion was also used for the cult classic gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, (1966-1971). If you haven’t seen it, be prepared to gaze on the glory of extreme and consummate melodramatics. At any rate, the house was known as “Collinswood,” and today, die hard fans of Dark Shadows still arrive by the bus load and scare college students by climbing up the fire stairways on the exterior of the building or begging to be let inside to see a vampire. I’m not kidding. While I was there, a fan even left a bag of gifts to Barnabas, the vampire. The building secretary thanked him kindly and quickly locked it up in a closet. It comes out now and again when the story is told.
Here is a short video that Pat brilliantly put together from a Dark Shadows film that shows the mansion today, and back then.
Carey Mansion on ABC’s Dark Shadows series
Watts Sherman House–The ghost of a little boy is rumored to live here. I lived here my freshman year and did not have any strange experiences. My suitemate’s girlfriend claimed to have seen the figure of a little boy one night standing in the corner of the room. Better her than me.
Conley Hall–I moved here from Carey Mansion in the fall of 2002. Conley Hall was located about a quarter mile away from the campus–something campus officials did not like. Needless to say, the school no longer uses Conley Hall, but it sat at the end of a very long, secluded driveway, completely walled off from the rest of the world. Voices, banging noises, and rattling doors could occasionally make this place a little creepy. I didn’t like being there alone. At the moment I do not have any exterior photographs, but will post one as soon as I find one.
