Hidden murals: Abandoned tobacco barns have secret artwork from decades ago

You really never know what you'll find down the old country roads of North Carolina. The sight of a dilapidated old tobacco barn with peeling paint and caved in roof may not be an unusual sight along the rural roads of the Old North State – but in the small town of Cameron, those old barns look a lot different than your average countryside scene.

Peaking out from behind a curtain of ivy, the faces of giant robots peer out at passing drivers.

In the middle of an overgrown field, a half-crumbled house with a rusted tin roof, painted with a cluster of patchwork colors.

Like a treasure hunt through the countryside, the eclectic murals were painted across aging tobacco barns, tractors, houses and farm equipment. If you aren't a local, you likely won't find them all. And sadly, the decades have worn some of the original murals completely away.

Of the original 'Barnstormers Murals,' only a handful remain today.

When the murals were first painted in the 1990s, the troupe of young artists bursting into Cameron from around the globe caused a stir that brought people from all over the state to see the show: Modern art from city artists painted on historic structures in the Carolina countryside.

However, in the years that have passed, the faded murals have, in themselves, become part of the town's history – slowly vanishing after years of exposure to the hot summer sun, the harsh hurricanes and the curtain of nature growing over them.

Cameron's Barnstormer Murals: A New York artist returning to his small-town roots

David Ellis, who inspired the Barnstormer murals, was born and raised in Cameron.

His father was the pastor of Cameron Presbyterian Church. According to those who remember him, Ellis' creativity spanned all the way back to this childhood. He attended Union Pines High School, and his artistic talent eventually brought him to the North Carolina School of the Arts high school in Winston-Salem. Afterwards, the small-town preacher's kid set of for big dreams in New York City, where he attended the School of Visual Arts.

Ellis wrote that in the 1990s, towards the turn of the century, he felt a sense of anxiety as the new millennium approached.

In the News and Record, he wrote a column called 'ThoughtsByEllis,' saying he felt there was a lot to be concerned about, and that he longed to go back and visit the simple life he'd left behind – and bring part of his new life with him.

"I had been feeling a growing need to go down there and paint for the folks who, when I was a boy, taught me how to tie a square knot and ride a horse. At the same time, I wanted to do these paintings alongside my crew, the artists I most respected in New York City," he wrote. "I felt if I could connect these forces in some kind of shared experience, I could start to deal with the seemingly incongruous cultures that have wrestled within me."

He invited his friends and colleagues – artists from across the world, from New York to Japan. The troupe of a few dozen young artists flooded the small town of Cameron, bringing joy, vibrancy and buzz along with them.

Neighbors who Ellis knew from childhood volunteered their old tobacco barns as the canvases for the eclectic murals. Having no real idea what to expect, the people of Cameron entrusted their small town to the new idea of streetscape artwork – more commonly found splashed across the graffiti-lined streets of the big city.

The combination old modern and antique, of urban and rural, made history. Even today, the murals draw attention from thousands online.

See the Cameron Barnstormer Murals

Cameron is hosting a Spring Antiques Street Fair on May 3 and 4 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. along Carthage Street in downtown.

There will be over 150 vendors, shopping, food, and the antique shops will all be open as well. The downtown strip is a historic district, lined with historic homes, churches and shops. Take a tour and ask the antique shop owners for the history and locations of the more 'hidden' Barnstormer Murals while you're in town!

You can also visit the James Creek Cider House for their award-winning craft hard cider, made on-site from orchards on the grounds. Or take a look at the Lazy Fox Lavender Farm, less than a mile from the painted barns. They grow lavender on-site and have a shop with items for purchase.