In June of 1970, Carolyn met Barnabas Collins, a "distant cousin" who had just arrived in Collinsport - in fact, he was her ancestor cursed with vampirism in the 18th century who had just been accidentally released from his coffin. She grew immensely infatuated with Barnabas and was elated to discover that her cousin would be moving in to the original family estate, commonly referred to as the Old House. Barnabas had plans to renovate the Old House to its original condition.