2014: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Birthplace

In this 1970 photo Pearl Buck begins the restoration of her home by knocking out a piece of porch railing of her Birthplace while back West Virginia for an environmental seminar.  Four years later we held out grand opening on May 4, 1974.  Sadly, Pearl died at the beginning of March in 1973, so she didn't get to see the opening, but it must have already been clear the house would indeed be successful as a gateway to "new hopes, dreams and ways of life" as she wished it to be. 

The project was and has continued to be a community endeavor.  In the coming months we'll post photos and stories of that effort in this blog.  Everyone involved with the Birthplace, from the moment a commitment was made to save the home to today should feel some sense of pride in the collaborative endeavor.

May 4, 2014 will mark the 40th Anniversary of our opening, and we think it deserves to be celebrated.  Unfortunately, that porch railing that Pearl S. Buck is knocking taking a whack at in the picture is once again in need of repairs and painting, as is the entire house.

Help Us Bring Visitors to the Birthplace

Do you know of a good place to distribute Pearl S. Buck Birthplace rack cards, not only to visitors, but also to people from the area who haven't visited in a long time and should see what's new?  If so, come by and pick up some cards, or let us know the place, and we'll send some.  I don't see the cards in very many places, when I travel around the area.

Tours and gift shop sales are an important revenue stream if the birthplace intends to continue an active schedule of programs and cultural activities, and there was a significant drop off last year.  So help us get the word out.  Place cards in your place of business, businesses you patronize, libraries, or anywhere else where it is appropriate and permitted.  If you are passing by tourist spots like hotels, visitor centers, or landmarks or museums and have time to check in, see if they have the rack cards.

You can also help by sharing links to our blog, Facebook page or site when you're online.  Let's get the word out.  Pearl's Mother's House can only live again if there are people in it to keep it lively!

Subtle and Not So Subtle Changes

Sometimes when I close the office at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace something catches my eye and instead of leaving right away I linger, my attention captured by something that is going on on the grounds.  Our groundhog guests have moved from under the porch of the Stulting House to under the Carpenter Shack.  That's good because they're no longer undermining the porch of a National Historic Structure, not so good because it's awfully close to the garden!  But they're as cute as ever, darn those things! 

This would be the Good Earth Garden

After locking up I walked around outside to see if things were growing in the garden yet, and if they had done any damage.  Whenever I seem them out of their borrow they are nibbling on wild flowers, in other words, the weeds in the yard.  But that may well be because that is all that is available so far this year.  Once that garden is producing delicious vegetables, it may be too much to pass up.

Pearl S. Buck in Schools and Universities Today

Pearl grew up in this home in Zhenjiang China and then
was a teacher herself, at the university there. 
All rights reserved by meckleychina

Do you study the life of Pearl S. Buck at your school?  

In a recent New Yorker article "Why is Literary Fame So Unpredictable?," Tom Vanderbilt uses Pearl S. Buck as proof that literary prizes do little to ensure the enduring reputation of an author, and asserts that her work is hardly read anymore.  I don't know how Pearl Buck stacks up against her contemporaries in terms of how much she is read these days, but Vanderbilt seems to have forgotten that The Good Earth, the best-selling, highly acclaimed novel that was most responsible for getting Pearl Buck all those honors back in the 1930s, received a huge boost in sales when Oprah's Book Club featured it in 2004.  

Snowshoe Foundation Gives $5,000 Toward Critical Repairs

http://www.snowshoemtn.com

Above (right to left): Brian Ball, Snowshoe Foundation Board of Directors; Lucinda Tyler, Pearl Buck Birthplace Board of Directors; Stacie Gilmore, AmeriCorps VISTA

Community Open House to Celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival

On Sunday October 4 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Museum will host a free community open house to celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival. The Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrates the autumn harvest and corresponds with date of the full harvest moon. It is the second biggest holiday in China after the Lunar New Year. West Virginia writer and Pearl Buck scholar Edwina Pendarvis along with past Pearl Buck Birthplace director David Corcoran will be hosting the festival, which will focus both on local history and special cultural programming on China.

Planned activities include free guided tours of the house, martial arts demonstrations, tasting food from Chinese moon cakes to pumpkin bread, free cider samples form the museum's historic apple press, exhibits of Chinese artifacts, live music from local musicians, and more!

For more information contact Lucinda Tyler, Board Member, gtfarmwv@frontiernet.net, (304) 653-2097, or Stacie Gilmore, VISTA, stacie.gilmore@gmail.com, (304) 653-4328. The Pearl Buck Birthplace Museum, (304) 653-4430, offers guided tours May 1 to Nov. 1 from 9 am to 4:30 pm. The museum is located on U.S. 219, just north of Hillsboro, WV.

Vietnamese Student Directs Innovative Summer Program

When Pearl S. Buck toured West Virginia in the 1970s raising money for the West Virginia Women’s Clubs to restore the family farmhouse in Hillsboro, she hoped the house would become “a gateway to new thoughts and dreams and ways of life.” To achieve that goal, the Pearl Buck Birthplace Museum this June and July hosted its first summer series on Asia.

For five weeks, Phi Nguyen, a math and arts major at Berea College from Hanoi, Vietnam, taught Asian arts and crafts to elementary school students at Hillsboro and Marlinton libraries. She also held adult cooking classes, manned tables at local festivals, presented at the Marlinton senior center, and assisted the Pocahontas County Arts Council.

Initially, organizers feared low participation after hearing that summer programs at the Hillsboro Library were lucky to attract two or three students. Upon seeing fourteen kids the first day, librarian Elwood Groves commented that it was the largest turnout he had seen since he started work there. Phi has been similarly impressed, commenting, “I was surprised how interested the students are in Asia.” The Pearl Buck Birthplace Foundation has been working to establish closer connections with a second Pearl Buck museum in Zhenjiang, China, to one day offer further opportunities for local students.

The Pearl Buck House offers guided tours May 1 to Nov. 1 from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Memberships are available for $5 through the Birthplace Foundation at info@pearlsbuckbirthplace.com or (304) 653-4430.

For more information, contact Stacie Gilmore – stacie.gilmore@gmail.com or 304-653-4328.



PHOTO: Berea College student and PSBB summer intern Phi Nguyen and VISTA Stacie Gilmore with students from Hillsboro, WV learning to make paper dragons. (left to right: Charles Hunter Wilfong, Lanty Rose, Phi Nguyen, Emily Henderson, Victoria Rose, Briar Wilfong, Stacie Gilmore)

Summer Series on Asia for Elementary School Students

"A Trip Through Asia"

Phi Nguyen, an art and math major at Berea College, from Hanoi, Vietnam, will host a summer reading and arts program on Tuesdays at the Hillsboro Library and Wednesdays at McClintic Library in Marlinton. Each week will focus on a different country, including China, Japan, S. Korea, India, and Vietnam.

Expect snacks, crafts, stories, and games. All activities are FREE and open to the public. The program is directed at students in elementary school. Contact VISTA Stacie Gilmore at (304) 653-4328 or stacie.gilmore[at]gmail.com to participate. Sign-up lists are also available at the Marlinton and Hillsboro libraries.

Hillsboro Library: Tuesdays, 10 am-12 noon, June 23 - July 21
Marlinton Library: Wednesdays, 12:30 - 2:30 pm, June 24 - July 22 (right after Energy Express)

Event Flier:
http://www.geocities.com/rivendell400/FSH.pdf

Asian Cooking Classes at the Pearl Buck House

6:30 - 8:00 pm
Mondays, June 22 - July 20, at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace in Hillsboro

Summer intern Phi Nguyen, from Hanoi, Vietnam, will be instructing us in the preparation of Asian dishes. Each week will focus on a different country, including China, Japan, S. Korea, India, and Vietnam. Cost to participate is for the full five classes. All ages welcome. Contact VISTA Stacie Gilmore at (304) 653-4328 or stacie.gilmore[at]gmail.com for more information and to register. Sign-up lists are also posted at the Hillsboro and McClintic libraries.

Event Flier:
http://www.geocities.com/rivendell400/FCH.pdf

Pocahontas Music ♫ Concert, May 8

Pocahontas Music was founded in February 2007 by volunteer Lucinda Tyler along with assistance from volunteer teacher Lois Airgood. The purpose of the workshop is to teach underserved elementary school students about their Appalachian roots, both lyrically and musically.

They were recently awarded a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council, with matching funds from other local councils, for a four-month music workshop to instruct Hillsboro Elementary's 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders about the "Origins of Appalachian Music" through song/verse, guitar and collaboration. Three West Virginian Honorarians are involved in the workshop: singer/songwriter Kate Long; award-winning flat-picking guitar player Robin Kessinger; and poet Kirk Judd.

Their hard work will culminate with a demonstration on the Great Lawn at Pearl Buck's Birthplace to share what they have learned from their workshop of music, lyrics, prose, and collaboration. They will be accompanied by Honorarias Long, Kessinger and Judd as well as local musicians who participated in the workshop.

Concert Details
Date: May 8, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Great Lawn of the Pearl Buck Birthplace
The museum is located just north of the town of Hillsboro, on US Route 219