The Power of Place

Nine out of the ten plays in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a Black neighborhood called the Hill District. (The one exception is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which is set in Chicago.) Explore how the Hill District has informed the history and creation of these plays!
The Hill District
- “When the Hill Was Little Harlem” – Reggie Howze (Voices of History Pittsburgh) by PA Humanities (17:28)
- The Hill District Digital History Project (Digital Resource)
- The Story Of The Pittsburgh Neighborhood That Inspired “Fences” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (Article)
- Former residents remember Whiteside Road community in Hill District by CBS Pittsburgh (2:43)
- Wylie Avenue Days | A Celebration of Pittsburgh’s Hill District (1991) by WQED Pittsburgh (57:30)
- Black History Month: Diving Into The Hill District’s Rich History by CBS Pittsburgh (4:02)
- Archives: A Link to the Past | The History of the Hill District Clearances by Ethan Cooke (8:40)
- Things you never knew about the Hill District by CBS Pittsburgh (6:28)
- A Visit to The Hill: Exploring August Wilson’s Pittsburgh by Travel by the Book TV (33:59)
- The History of Pittsburgh’s Hill District by the Magic Lantern (21:17)
- The Rich History of Pittsburgh’s Hill District by Pittsburgh Beautiful (4:11)