Hugh Morton was the grandson of Hugh Macrae. If you grew up, or lived for just a little while, in Wilmington, NC, then you’ve probably heard the name Hugh Macrae – at the very least you’ve been by Hugh Macrae Park for a stroll around the pond once or twice. Hugh Morton, among other things, was an avid photographer. The fine folks at the University of North Carolina’s library have put together a collection of Mr. Morton’s photos that you can browse. I had hours of fun looking through the Wilmington photos and trying to locate the same spots on google street view. It is interesting to see how places you’re so familiar with have changed over the decades. For instance, I have seen a spot on the sidewalk on Front St. that has tile in a pattern that says ‘Bijou’, but there is no building there. If you search through the images presented here, you’ll indeed find the old Bijou building, and many more that don’t exist anymore. From a historical standpoint, this collection is a goldmine.

For the main collection, click here. For a subset of photos based on the search term Wilmington, NC, click here.