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Leisure Day Drives: Pearl S. Buck House
By Clare Novak
Posted: 2021-11-30T14:00:00Z
Pearl S. Buck Typewriter
This is the typewriter used to write The Good Earth

Having read The Good Earth in grade school, Pearl S. Buck’s description of China fascinated me. Hers was perhaps the first novel I’d read set outside the US or Europe. Upon discovering that her International Center was in our area, I resolved to visit but the resolution took years and COVID restrictions to make it happen.

I should not have waited so long. Pearl S. Buck International was an amazing experience. The beauty of the land itself is the first gift of the visit. Flowers and trees are meticulously tended and complement the open fields. This setting holds at its heart the gifts of Pearl S. Buck’s life and legacy. Her life is amply explained both through the house, which is full of family artifacts, including the typewriter Buck used to write The Good Earth (above), and an exhibition center telling of her work. As a writer, Buck won a Pulitzer Prize.

Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was the daughter of Southern Presbyterian missionary parents. Although born in the United States, she spent most of the first 40 years of her life in China. It was during a return to the US for college that Pearl Sydenstricker met and married John Lossing Buck. They had a daughter, Carol who suffered from severe mental development issues. Due to health issue, Buck was not physically able to have more children. The couple adopted a daughter, Janice. The Buck’s eighteen-year marriage was not a happy one. After their divorce, Pearl Buck would marry her publisher, Richard Walsh.

Buck’s legacy started with The Welcome House, Buck’s earliest activism. Welcome House started as a place to bring orphans from overseas. Over time, Buck’s efforts expanded to allow US parents to adopt internationally. Eventually, Welcome House placed over 7,000 orphans from around the world, including the US. As an activist, Buck won a Nobel prize.

Pearl S. Buck House


To visit, go to the website and sign up for a tour (Plan Your Visit | Pearl S. Buck International (pearlsbuck.org). The number of tours each day is limited, so it is important to sign up online. Tour options are the Pearl S. Buck Life and Legacy Tour and the Pearl S. Buck Taking Action Tour. Both are well-described on the website. Pearl S Buck International located at 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA (Bucks County). Pearl S. Buck International | Learn about the Pearl S. Buck House museum | Pearl S. Buck International (pearlsbuck.org)

Clare Novak

Clare Novak travels far and near. She started her travel website and blogs in 2018, seeking to share the world’s beauty and delightful experiences. Ms. Novak is an international consultant in Human Resources, Gender Equality and Leadership. She has published business books and articles and speaks on those topics for international Conferences. When at home in Pennsylvania, she travels locally to discover interesting places.
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