Joan Fry
Wally Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
Bessie Wallis Warfield was born June 19, 1896, in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, and was the twice-divorced American woman who became the lover of King Edward VIII, while he was Prince of Wales. He became King in 1936, while she was still married to shipping magnate Ernest Simpson. She filed for divorce, but when it became clear that the royal family would not allow her to marry the King, Edward abdicated the throne to marry her. They spent the rest of their lives in effective exile, living in France and the United States.
The birthplace of Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was located on the grounds of the former Monterey Inn at Old Route 16 and Monterey Lane, Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania. She was born June 19, 1896. The cottage in which she was born, known as Square Cottage, was razed in 1942. Her father was Teackle Wallis Warfield, who died of tuberculosis in 1896. Her mother was Alice Montague.
She married Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr., a US Navy pilot in 1916. They divorced in 1927. In 1928, she married shipping magnate Ernest Simpson. They divorced in 1937. Her third marriage was in 1937 to King Edward VIII. He died in 1972 of cancer. She died April 24, 1986, in Paris.
The Monterey District
The Monterey Historic District is located in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania. This District is listed on the National Historic Site Registry and serves as an example of a summer resort community from the 19th Century. Aside from hosting famous people and celebrities, a prominent birth also occurred there. Bessie Wallis Warfield, Duchess of Windsor, was born in Square Cottage at the Monterey Inn, at the resort of Blue Ridge Summit. The area is located on Charmian Road, which was part of the Baltimore/Pittsburgh Turnpike. This area was attractive because of the climate and the natural springs, both pure and mineral. By the end of the 19th Century, the Clermont House was built to the East of the Monterey Inn. As an increasing number of affluent guests were attracted to the area, they bought land and built summer homes of their own along Charmian Lane.
The State Sanatorium at Sabillasville from 1908: Part 2 Plus by Joan Bittner Fry is not available for purchase, but can be borrowed at Blue Ridge Summit Library.
