On June 27, 1966, ABC debuted Dark Shadows, a darkly atmospheric soap opera about an ancient family named the Collins, the dark mansion where they lived, and the many ghosts and monsters that surrounded their lives. It would become a cultural phenomenon, running for 1,225 episodes and spawning two theatrical movies.

The show took place in Maine, but the exterior of the show’s Collinwood Mansion was filmed in Newport, Rhode Island. A large sprawling castle-like edifice currently known as the Carey Mansion was chosen. The image of this mansion introduced episodes and was used as a transition between scenes, sometimes in black and white or silhouette, and, when the show went color, in washed out, fog-enshrouded tones.

Carey Mansion was built in the 1920s, and incorporated parts of another buildings from 1885. Sections of the original building were supposed to have been transported from France and Washington, D.C. It’s located on Ruggles Avenue, near a section of the Cliff Walk in Newport. The mansion is privately owned and in recent years, was leased to Salve Regina University and used as an academic facility and student dormitory.  It is now used as a private residence.

Adapted with Permission from: The New England Grimpendium by J.W. Ocker

Update as of March 2022: This location is a private residence, please do not trespass.