EPISODE · Apr 21, 2026 · 1H 57M
Laura Stotts: Forgotten Houses, WWII Letters, & What Abandonment Teaches Us. EP 19
from An Actors Podcast · host Douglas Taurel
02:14 Payphone Nostalgia05:05 How She Finds Houses11:11 From Hobby to Community17:15 Lessons on Mortality35:26 World War II Letters41:31 Pilot Down Over France43:26 Mothers Trading War News45:11 Widow’s Grief Letter55:33 Reading Harold’s 1945 Letter01:02:10 Full Circle at Wendover01:12:44 Hard Work of Old Cabins01:16:51 Lessons for Feeling Stuck01:18:13 Sobriety01:21:21 Healing Family History01:39:39 Overcoming Any ChallengeFollow Laura at: Websites:www.DiaryofAbandoment.com@diaryofabandonment Follow Douglas at: www.DouglasTaurel.com www.theamericansoldiersoloshow.comwww.landinghomewebseries.comXInstagramFacebook Page
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What this episode covers
On the Actors Podcast, Episode #19, the host interviews photographer and content creator Laura Stotts, known online as Diary of Abandonment, who documents abandoned and forgotten houses, artifacts left behind, ghost towns, and gravestone cleaning. Laura traces her fascination with abandonment to childhood memories of Hurricane Bonnie in 1987, when her Texas apartment complex became suddenly deserted, and explains how her work grew from roadside photos to documenting over 1,000 locations across 19 states, including hospitals and prisons. They discuss how “proof of life” objects spark nostalgia and highlight life’s brevity, the importance of family relationships, and genealogy as a tool for healing and understanding generational trauma. Laura shares a major find: a large collection of WWII letters, including a story of a B-24 pilot killed in action, and describes her sobriety journey, faith, and service to others.
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Laura Stotts: Forgotten Houses, WWII Letters, & What Abandonment Teaches Us. EP 19
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