BOOKPATHS

Buckhannon, West Virginia, U.S.

Jayne Anne Phillips, author of the highly praised Lark and Termite, tells readers what she liked about growing up in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

I grew up in the dense, verdant Appalachia of the ‘50s and ‘60s.  For me, ‘hometown’ refers to a small town, home to generations of family, a place whose history is interspersed with family stories and myths.  Buckhannon was a town of 6,500 or so then, nestled in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains of north-central West Virginia. – from “Buckhannon, West Virginia: the Perfect Birthplace,” by Jayne Anne Phillips, Smithsonian

Bookpath: Pearl S. Buck Birthplace, Hillsboro, West Virginia

The home where Pearl S. Buck, winner of both the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and the Nobel Prize for Literature, was born on June 26, 1892 is a “fine historic house museum.” Guides lead visitors through “period rooms containing some of the original furniture and memorabilia of the author.” Other items relating to her work and her home state of West Virginia are also on display. “Located in the beautiful and historic ‘Little Levels’ of Pocahontas County,” the museum is open May 1 through November 1, Monday through Saturday, 9:00 – 4:30. For additional information, visit the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace website.