Day 114: Pearl S. Buck House, Perkasie, Pennsylvania
📌APIA Every Day (114) - The Pearl S. Buck House, formerly known as Green Hills Farm, stands as a historic site nestled in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. This estate served as the residence of Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck from 1933 until her passing in 1973. Originally constructed in 1825, the Pearl S. Buck House showcases exemplary 19th-century Pennsylvanian architecture fashioned from coursed fieldstone. Over the years, Buck made significant modifications and additions to the farmhouse, including the incorporation of a two-story fieldstone wing and two libraries. Here, Buck not only wrote several books but also raised her family, pursued her humanitarian interests, and cultivated her passion for gardening.
Beyond the physical structure, the Pearl S. Buck House carries a profound cultural legacy. Born in 1892, Buck spent her early years in China, where her parents had been missionaries since 1880. Her family returned to China from the U.S shortly after her birth, preferring to live among the Chinese rather than in a missionary compound. Growing up, Buck had intimate interactions with the Chinese people, speaking their language, playing with local children, and absorbing their culture firsthand. Despite her immersion in Chinese life, Buck's parents also exposed her to American culture, celebrating American holidays and providing meals with American influences. Buck's education extended beyond traditional schooling; she was tutored by a Confucian scholar in Chinese history, writing, and reading. In 1910, Buck returned to the United States to attend Randolph-Macon Woman's College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 1914. She briefly taught psychology at the college before returning to China to care for her ailing mother.
In 1917, Buck married John Lossing Buck, an American agricultural missionary, and the couple spent their early years together in a small town in North China. It was here that Buck's experiences provided the inspiration for her most famous work, "The Good Earth." Buck's empathetic portrayal of Chinese life in her literary works earned her the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Through her writings and initiatives such as the East-West Association and the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, she tirelessly worked to dispel stereotypes and cultivate appreciation for Chinese culture, leaving a mark on American literature and society.
Today, the Pearl S. Buck House has been transformed into a museum and is managed by Pearl S. Buck International, a charitable nonprofit organization committed to advancing intercultural education and humanitarian aid. Welcoming approximately 17,000 visitors annually, the house offers insights into Pearl S. Buck's remarkable history and contributions, and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1980.
LEARN MORE:
Pearl S. Buck International: A Biography of Pearl S. Buck
Novel Prize: The Nobel Prize in Literature 1938
NPR: A Chinese Fan of Pearl S. Buck Returns the Favor
NY Times: A Pearl Buck Novel, New After 4 Decades
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