A woman sitting on the steps of an old, weathered train car with turquoise paint and rust patches, outside on a grassy area.

A woman sitting on the steps of an old, weathered train car with peeling green and blue paint, wearing a gray sweater, blue jeans, and brown boots.

Media

Media & Collaborations

About the Creator

Laura Stotts is a photographer, writer, genealogist, and historical researcher whose work is rooted in a lifelong curiosity about the people and places that came before us.

What began as an interest in abandoned homes grew into something much larger. Researching the history behind the places she photographed often meant tracing families, searching old records, walking cemeteries, interviewing descendants, and following stories far beyond the original photograph. Over time, the people connected to these places became just as important as the places themselves.

That work eventually brought Laura into cemeteries in a more hands-on way. Today, through Grave Conditions, she cleans and preserves historic headstones, documents cemeteries, and helps families care for the markers left behind. She also volunteers her time cleaning veterans’ headstones and researching their stories.

Laura’s work has taken her into abandoned homes, historic cemeteries, museums, archives, living history sites, and communities across the country. Whether behind a camera, digging through historical records, working in a cemetery, or sharing a story with an audience, the purpose remains much the same: to document what is still here and remember the people who were here before us.

She is available for speaking engagements, podcast and media interviews, living history events, workshops, and collaborative projects involving history, genealogy, cemeteries, and storytelling.

About the Creator

For more than a decade, Laura Stotts has traveled backroads and small towns documenting historic homes, cemeteries, and overlooked places across rural America. Through photography and historical research, her work focuses on preserving the stories connected to these locations before they are lost to time.

An old, abandoned, and dilapidated house with peeling gray paint and a rusted metal roof. A woman is sitting on the second-story windowsill, looking out.

What began as photographing old structures has grown into a broader body of work rooted in preservation, genealogy, and storytelling. Her work now extends beyond the lens into cemetery documentation, headstone preservation, and volunteer efforts honoring veterans and their stories. Time spent in the field has often led to meaningful connections with communities and individuals, helping bring forward stories that might otherwise remain untold.

Through her platform, Diary of Abandonment, Laura shares a visual journal of forgotten America, highlighting the places, people, and histories that shaped the landscape. She is available for speaking engagements, podcast interviews, living history events, and collaborative projects centered on preservation, storytelling, and historical research.

North Carolina photographer captures nostalgic beauty of abandoned homes
Laura Stotts was featured in The Epoch Times for her photography of abandoned homes, where her images spark widespread emotional response from readers who connected with the memories and histories reflected in the spaces.
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Tuskegee Airman Story
Coverage of Laura Stotts’ genealogical research connecting a 101 year old WWII veteran to the legacy of a Tuskegee Airman.
View the full WBTV feature
Rescuing Abandoned Houses
Exploring efforts to document and preserve disappearing historic homes and the stories they hold.
Watch the WBTV segment
Photographer & Genealogist Feature
Highlighting cemetery preservation and genealogical research uncovering overlooked local history.
Watch the WBTV segment
Facebook Hack Story
A North Carolina creator shares the impact of losing a platform to a Facebook hacking scam.
Watch the WBTV feature
Woman loses Facebook business account to person posing as social media influencer
Coverage of a Facebook hacking scam and its impact on a North Carolina creator, also covered by WBTV news.
Read the full story
WW II veteran discovers possible connection with Charlotte Tuskegee Airman
Featured on Queen City News after research uncovered a possible connection between a WWII veteran’s mission and a Charlotte Tuskegee Airman who went missing during the war, suggesting their paths may have crossed decades earlier.
Read more
Photographer discovers letter from World War II sent to Lincolnton
A handwritten 1944 WWII found inside a thrift store dictionary led to efforts to locate the author’s family and return a piece of history.
Read more
Diary of Abandonment: Dilapidated Houses & a Divine Calling
An in-depth interview centered on the deeper meaning behind the work, where photography and family history intersect with personal experiences of trauma, addition, and healing
Listen to the podcast
Laura Stotts, the creative force behind Diary of Abandonment
A conversation exploring the journey behind Diary of Abandonment, documenting forgotten homesteads, rusted vehicles, and the stories uncovered through genealogy, personal history, and rural exploration.
Listen to the podcast
Laura Stotts: Forgotten Houses, WWII Letters, and What Abandonment Teaches Us
Interview with North Carolina photographer Laura Stotts on documenting abandoned places, artifacts left behind, and the personal stories they hold.
Listen to the podcast
The Keeper of Our Stories
An 18 page feature on how a childhood fascination with empty buildings became a decade-long search for the people who left them behind.
Read the feature article

A line drawing of a woman with curly hair reading a book, dressed in historical clothing.

Line drawing of a woman with curly hair reading a book.

Featured in

Audience Reach

Laura Stotts reaches an engaged audience across multiple platforms, with a combined following of 405.3k people. Her content resonates with those interested in preservation, rural America, genealogy, veteran support, and the history and character of forgotten places.

She is frequently invited to participate in community engagements, podcast interviews, and collaborative projects, sharing her field experiences and historical discoveries. Her work also lends itself to partnerships related to preservation, photography, travel, field gear, and adventure-driven exploration.

Combined Following: 405.3k

Instagram 157.9k Facebook 178.5k X 56.8k

TikTok 10.1k YouTube 2k

Instagram 157,300 Facebook 154,400 X 44,600

TikTok 6,700 YouTube 1,600

Laura Stotts | Diary of Abandonment
laura@diaryofabandonment.com

A vintage-style illustration of two women sitting across from each other at a small round table, engaged in a conversation, with a teapot and a single flower on the table.

Available For

Laura Stotts is available for speaking engagements, interviews, living history events, and collaborative opportunities focused on preservation, storytelling, and historic places. Based in North Carolina and available for travel.