images/graphics/buildings/stulting_house_sm.jpg

Welcome to the world of Pearl S. Buck! Known as one of the voices of her generation, many people don't know that her life began in a modest home located in Pocahontas, County, West Virginia. The site, a National Historical Site located in the town of Hillsboro, features a modest two-story, hand-hewn, home where the author was born.

After fleeing religious discrimination in Holland, Pearl's maternal family, the Stultings, settled in the Appalachian Mountains and the house contains period antiques indicative of the lifestyle of a late-19th and early 20th-century working family. The home serves as a museum dedicated to educating visitors on the early experiences of Pearl's life that helped shape some of the major characters and plotlines of her books.

The site includes 13 acres of scenic Appalachian farmland surrounded by the Monongahela National Forest. In addition to the home site, visitors also have access to a period-era carpentry shop and barn with over 100 historic farm and woodworking tools and the log home of Buck's father's family, the Sydenstrickers, which was moved from Greenbrier County and restored on the site.

The parking lot includes a bus turn-around and drop-off point adjacent to the museum, which has also been renovated to include an arbor and a handicapped accessible portico. Fans can relax among benches set in the beautiful park area, enjoy a picnic or tour the grounds.