Collinwood tower room

The tower room at Collinwood is a fictional setting used in the daytime Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, which aired on ABC from 1966-1971. It is one of the forty-rooms found at the Great House of Collinwood and was an often-used setting for various storylines featured throughout the series.

Description & History
The tower room was a large spherical room and was the tallest and most recognizable structure at the Great House at Collinwood. It was part of the original architecture of the building and was constructed, along with the rest of the house, in 1795.

In the late 18th century, the tower room became the subject of great intrigue. When Joshua Collins learned that his son, Barnabas Collins, was now a vampire, he discovered that Barnabas' coffin had been moved to the tower room. The scheming military officer, Nathan Forbes, began to suspect Barnabas' secret. Hoping to sew discord amongst the family, he prompted Barnabas' mother, Naomi Collins, to venture into the room to see what she would find. Upon discovering Barnabas' coffin, she suddenly knew the truth about her son, which was that he was a vampire. Wrought with depression, Naomi took her own life soon after.

In the late 19th century, the tower room became the subject of another Collins family secret. Judith Collins locked away the crazed Jenny Rakosi, who was the estranged wife of her younger brother, Quentin Collins, inside the tower. No one but Judith and the family's servant, Beth Chavez, knew that Jenny was there. Judith would have Beth bring food up to her every day.

When Rachel Drummond came to visit Collinwood in 1897, she noticed from outside that a light had gone on in the tower room. Family patriarch, Edward Collins, dismissed this claim, citing that nobody had set foot in the tower room in years.