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.

A Week Ago Today

The tree that broke the fence also severed the power line to the Birthplace

Last Friday started out out wonderfully, and ended in devastation.  No doubt some of you have been wondering about damage at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace.  There's been a good deal of damage to trees, the fence and what seems to be minor damage to the exterior of both houses.  We've also lost our power line to the property. 

We'll only be able to really judge once the power's back on and we can take a good look around, inside and out, but though the damage will not be either cheap or easy to repair, it does not seem to be major.  We were fortunate.   Psychologically, though, the damage bites quite a bit.

Amelia Walker as Pearl S. Buck

Amelia Walker as Pearl Buck

Cindy Walker or Beckeley, WV, mother of Amelia Walker sent us a picture of her 3rd grade daughter dressed as Pearl S. Buck for a presentation about the author's life. The family had visited the Birthplace some weeks before. Her mother writes that Amelia also

received a certificate for reading 75 books this school year...and the results from a STAR reading test at school that indicate "she reads at a level equal to that of a typical twelfth grader" based on a national average of students in her grade. We are very proud of her.

We're interested in hearing about schools that study Pearl S. Buck, or students that do reports on her or related topics, so send us your pictures or stories.