If you are local to the area, you may have heard the name Pearl S. Buck. But just who is she and why is it important to learn more about this humanitarian who lived right in our own backyard? Ms. Buck was a Nobel and Pulitzer prize winner who had such a huge impact on our world. She was an advocate for racial harmony and a vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the US.
Pearl S. Buck was born in Virginia but moved to China with her parents when she was just 5 months old. At a young age, Pearl became an avid reader and at age six, her first published work appeared in the English-language Shanghai Mercury, a newspaper with a weekly children’s edition.
Pearl returned to the United States in 1910 and received her Bachelor’s Degree before moving back to China and marrying her first husband John Lossing Buck. In 1925, they moved back to the US and Pearl earned her Master’s degree in English Literature. They had a biological child named Carol as well as an adopted daughter named Janice. Shortly thereafter, Pearl started writing novels. Her second novel, The Good Earth, won the Pulitzer prize in 1932. In 1935, Pearl divorced John Buck and married a man named Richard Walsh. The two, along with their family bought Green Hills Farm in Bucks County where they raised a large international family consisting of seven adopted children and several foster children.
Pearl S. Buck was the first American woman to be awarded both the Pulitzer and the Nobel prize for her work. She was an advocate for racial harmony and in 1949 founded the Welcome House adoption program. It was the first adoption agency specializing in the placement of biracial children. In 1964, she created the Pearl S. Buck Foundation as a child sponsorship organization to help children in their own countries with health, education and job training. Pearl S. Buck died on March 6, 1973 and is buried on the grounds of Green Hills Farm.
The Pearl S. Buck house is a National Historic Landmark Museum located in Bucks County, PA. The grounds of the estate contain Pearl S. Buck’s gravesite, greenhouse, award-winning gardens, Cultural Center (a former barn where Ms. Buck held community events), the Estate Pavilion (which houses special events and weddings), and the Welcome Center. The vision of the Pearl S. Buck house is to inspire every visitor, through story and dialogue, to take action and make our world a better place.
Looking for a place to tour on the next beautiful day outside, or somewhere to host your wedding or special event? Tours are available most days of the week and the grounds are also available to rent for your next special occasion!
