Finding solace amongst the ghost and art

VIRGINIA CITY -- Annabelle Shelly has been volunteering at St. Mary's Art Center in Virginia City for about 40 years. She served as executive director for almost 38 years and said she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. "This center made my life what it is," she said. " The experience allowed me to communicate with artists and I've been able to study with famous people. I have my own studio here. The experience has been fantastic. I've been wholly involved in the world of art."

An accomplished artist in her own right, she uses etching, acrylics, water color and more to create her paintings.

Shelly is diminutive. Her curly gray hair accents her striking blue eyes. She's cordial, with an easy grace and an easy smile.

She turned 80 on May 12.

She describes St. Mary's Art Center as a peaceful place and does not seem the least bit intimidated by the ghosts that allegedly reside within its walls.

She said gurneys have been heard running up and down the hallways and the "White Nun" inhabits the old chapel, which is now Room 11.

"The History Channel filmed a story about them," she said. "They're still here, although they're not as obvious as they used to be. If they don't like something, they let us know."

Shelly spent part of her childhood in Kansas, where her father worked in the oil industry. He lost his arm in an oil rig accident during the Great Depression, but continued to provide for his family, working as a security guard in the Texas oil fields, Shelley said.

"We never went hungry, even through the Depression," she said.

She graduated from high school in Denver City, Texas, and a stormy marriage to Texas rancher Edgar E. Lee followed.

The two divorced, leaving her with three children. She moved to the Bay area to be closer to her parents, who were then working in the local ship yards.

Shelly worked as a waitress and in the shipyards to support her children, before marrying her second husband, Bill Shelly.

"He was traveling by bus after he got out of the service," she said. "He got off the bus at Lafayette and went to the bar to get a drink. After looking around a little, he decided this was where he wanted to be."

At his urging, she attended the College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco. She was 37.

"My daughter was supposed to go," she said. "But she got married, so Bill said I should go. He's always encouraged and supported me."

Shelley's paintings have been exhibited in more than 50 shows. She was editor and feature writer for a California publication called "Art West" and her career was well established when she started teaching art at the center in Virginia City.

She began taking on other tasks around the center and eventually became assistant executive director under Louise Curran.

When her son was drafted into the Army 1968 during the Vietnam War, the center became her solace.

"He came back and he was fine, but the year he spent in Vietnam, was one of the most difficult times of my life," she said."I spent a lot of time here, painting."

During that period, she bought a small miner's cabin just east of C Street. She spent 12 years renovating it, primarily with money she earned through art sales.

Bill Shelly continued to work as a nurseryman in Lafayette, spending vacations and weekends in Virginia City. He joined her here after he retired in 1984. Bill Shelly spends much of his time gardening. He is 94.