Walter W. Paige
Files
Title
Walter W. Paige
Subject
Paige, Walter W. (1881-1968)
Description
Portrait photograph of Walter W. Paige.
Born in born in Tunbridge Wells, England, on June 29, 1881, he came to the Fort Valley with a hiking group from the Washington DC area in the 1920s. Three years later, in 1923, he bought property and a house in the Fort Valley.
He married Bessie Ritenour in 1924 and they lived in a white farmhouse in the northern end of Fort Valley.
In the 1930's, he built four cabins on the steep hillside behind his home which he sold to people from the Washington, D.C. area for extra income during the Depression. These weekend getaways still stand today.
He is buried in Dry Run.
Born in born in Tunbridge Wells, England, on June 29, 1881, he came to the Fort Valley with a hiking group from the Washington DC area in the 1920s. Three years later, in 1923, he bought property and a house in the Fort Valley.
He married Bessie Ritenour in 1924 and they lived in a white farmhouse in the northern end of Fort Valley.
In the 1930's, he built four cabins on the steep hillside behind his home which he sold to people from the Washington, D.C. area for extra income during the Depression. These weekend getaways still stand today.
He is buried in Dry Run.
Creator
Morrison Studio
Source
Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society
Publisher
Shenandoah County Library
Date
Undated
Contributor
Identified in 2002 by Jeanette C. Ritenour who knew the subject and had seen the same image before.
Additional information provided by Denise Lawrence.
Information about the cabins came from Tracy McMahon who, with her husband, owned three of them for many years.
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED
Identifier
002826
Original Format
Glass Negatives
Collection
Citation
Morrison Studio, “Walter W. Paige,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed February 2, 2026, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/28390.
Comments
Denise Lawrence
Walter Paige was my husband's grandfather. Walter Paige was born in Tunbridge Wells England. Attached is his obituary. He came to the Fort Valley with a hiking group from the Washington DC area in the 1920s. He bought property and a house in the Fort Valley in 1923 and married Bessie Ritenour (a Fort Valley native) in 1924.
Walter's daughter Winona (Paige) Lawrence is my husband's mother. My husband is Alfred M. Lawrence III
Zach
Thanks for the information Denise, we appreciate being able to add to his story.