Pearl S. Buck House
Welcome Center
Pearl S. Buck House is the Welcome Center for the Hilltown-Dublin-Silverdale region of the Route 113 Heritage Corridor Tour.
Come immerse yourself in the fascinating story of Pearl S. Buck, renowned writer and humanitarian.
Buck was born in the U.S. but raised in China by missionary parents, and spent much of her adult life there. Among the most popular and prolific novelists of the 20th century, Buck received the Nobel Prize for Literature—one of only two American women to do so—as well as the Pulitzer Prize, the Howells Medal, and many other honors. Her novels have been translated into scores of languages and are still read today across the globe.
In 1934, Buck left China to settle in this pre-1825 Pennsylvania stone farmhouse on Green Hills Farm. It was here that Buck and her husband, Richard Walsh raised their large adopted family and that Buck founded the charities for which she is so well known.
Pearl S. Buck House is a National Historic Landmark—one of only ten that specifically educates the public about a woman's contribution to society through an intact personal collection. The farmhouse is an excellent example of Georgian-style architecture and holds an eclectic collection of antique furniture and decorative objects from both Asia and Europe. Some visitor favorites include the desk where Buck penned The Good Earth, her Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, and a Tibetan wall hanging presented to Buck by the Dalai Lama. A tour of the home tells the complete story of Buck's life as a missionary's daughter in China, as a world-renowned author and humanitarian, and as a mother and foster-mother of 11 children.
In addition to touring the home, visitors are welcome to stroll around the 68-acre estate, with its gardens and charming outbuildings. A renovated historic barn on the property now houses a Cultural Center, where cross-cultural programs are offered to the public.
As an author and an activist, Buck worked passionately to help disadvantaged children the world over and to increase understanding between the peoples of the East and the West. Today, her work continues at Pearl S. Buck House, which serves as the international headquarters for Pearl S. Buck International, the family of humanitarian organizations she founded.
