Clarksburg Soul Lends a Hand: ParaHouse Magazine Partners with Us
A Haunting at James & Law
Hometown Connection
Clarksburg has a way of calling its people home - call it that hometown spirit if you will! This October, that call reached all the way to ParaHouse Magazine, whose founder and editor-in-chief, Melisa Shaw Kennedy, is a Clarksburg/Bridgeport native with deep roots and a love for her hometown’s stories. After seeing the posts on social media about the museum’s event, Melisa was quick to offer social media support and collaboration.
ParaHouse Magazine, known for exploring the paranormal through the lens of history and preservation, has joined forces with the Clarksburg History Museum to promote the museum’s upcoming fundraiser, “A Haunting at James & Law.”
Fond Memories
Melisa remembers walking through the James & Law Building as a child - shopping for school supplies and browsing the same floors where generations of Clarksburg families once worked and gathered. Now, decades later, she’s revisiting those same rooms in a new light, helping shine attention on a place that still holds so many stories within its walls.
“As enthusiasts of both the paranormal and the historical, ParaHouse is honored to partner with the Clarksburg History Museum,” Melisa shared. “It’s special to reconnect with my hometown through this collaboration and to see how Clarksburg continues to celebrate its past. My dad was the bank president at First Federal and Mountain State Federal Bank downtown beside Stone & Thomas department store. My mother was a school teacher at Nutter Fort Elementary. Such great memories of walking the streets of Clarksburg - shopping, holiday parades, and of course James & Law for their school supplies and scratch ‘n sniff stickers!”
Preserving History, One Story at a Time
The James & Law Building - constructed in 1898 - has stood witness to more than a century of life in downtown Clarksburg. Once home to a beloved office supply store, and now a beautiful show room for office furniture, the site now opens its doors after dark for a unique event that blends history with mystery. The museum’s guided tour invites visitors to experience Clarksburg’s architectural and cultural past while exploring its lingering legends. Not all of the building’s stories rest easy. Over the years, children have reported seeing ghostly figures in the stair well, and others have witnessed elevators that operate on their own or fax machines springing to life without explanation. Footsteps are heard on vacant floors and otherworldly sounds arise from the basement - part of which sits well below Main Street!
Whether coincidence or something more, these accounts only deepen the intrigue surrounding this downtown landmark.
By partnering with ParaHouse Magazine, the Clarksburg History Museum continues its mission to preserve and share the stories that make our city distinct - stories that connect the past and present, and remind us that even those who have moved away never truly leave home.
Join the Experience
“A Haunting at James & Law” takes place Saturday, October 18, 2025, with limited tickets available here. Ticket holders will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of ParaHouse magazine.
All proceeds benefit the museum’s ongoing educational and preservation initiatives.
Because in Clarksburg, history isn’t just remembered - it lives on through the people who carry it with them.
The museum would like to thank the generous opening of the James & Law building for this special event as well the time and efforts of our experienced paranormal guides