Weird Collinwood
Collinwood is a weird place and that’s even without the weird occurrences. Add in some ghost sightings, gardens overgrown with a plant you never planted, or perhaps some street prophets doling out daily horoscopes and you’ve got what I like to call home.
“Weird Collinwood” is just the vessel for such mysteries. I’ve lived in North Collinwood for the majority of my formative years, so I’ve been witness to these strange occurrences firsthand, or at least heard about them. I was never quite sure if I was a magnet for these bizarre happenings, or if it was just because North Collinwood has an abundance of them. I once had a woman confront me in the gas station and tell me with great certainty that I would soon find lots of money and that I was special. Maybe I mistook it as her asking for money, but of course I bought a lottery ticket the next day. Not a winner, but I felt touched in some way. Perhaps this woman had a sixth sense that I should take seriously.
A woman driving by Collinwood Memorial gardens, the site of the Collinwood school fire, swears she saw children playing in the park in period clothing. When she turned back to look again, they were gone. There are also stories about strange lights in the school’s windows. We all love to feel the tingle of a good ghost story, especially when it occurs in our own backyard. Collinwood is an old community with a rich history. These mysteries and stories are important in keeping our history alive. These are also are stories from home.
Everyone has had something weird happen to them at some point, or else they’re probably not living in Collinwood. Do you have any stories to tell? Events that don't make sense? Buildings, rooms, stores, streets that seem to have a secret life of their own? Submit them here and share them with your neighbors as we put together the Weird Collinwood map, along with celebrating everything else about our unique neighborhood.
Go to www.collinwoodobserver.com, sign into the Member Center, on your left on the front page, and when you write your story, select the "Weird Collinwood" category.