A Historic Inspired Bucket List

I used to be THAT girl. You know the one who wished she was born in the late Victorian era? No? Well, I eventually got over that unsolvable predicament because I realized that God placed me here in the 21st century for a reason, but I never let go of my love for history and all things historical. ​

When time travel is invented I might still peace out. But for now, I will be contented completing the items on this historically inspired bucket list.
    Here are a bunch of activities I want to do!

{photo credit: British Library on Unsplash}

​ 1. Go to a historical themed ball.
Yes, these still exist! You can rent (or buy or make) your outfit and head to a ball in the time period of your choice! One of the most famous is the the Regency Ball that occurs every year in Bath.

 2. Wear a corset.
Before you gasp in utter shock, let me explain a few things. *ahem* CORSETS ARE NOT TORTURE DEVICES. I’ve heard it said that corsets are actually quite comfortable if worn correctly. It would be very interesting to try wearing a corset for a day or two.

{photo credit: Jamie Spaniol on Unsplash}

3. Cook on a wood fired stove.
Historic food is really interesting to me. Before gas and electric ovens, every home had a wood fired oven and stove. You control the temperature based on how much oxygen you let into the fire and how much wood is on it. It’s a lot harder to regulate than today’s stoves, but that makes cooking only that much more an art.

4. Make a real pound cake.
​I’m an intern at a local museum, and for a while we had a recipe card on display for "Sylvia Bradley’s Pound Cake". The recipe is very easy to remember because almost every ingredient is measured in pounds, including raisins and citron.

5. Have a progressive dinner.
Progressive dinners are a very simple idea, each course of the meal is served at a different home and the party travels to each. This takes the cookload (cause that's a real word) off of one family, and it just seems like such a fun way to spend an evening.

{photo credit: Randy Fath on Unsplash}

6. Take a carriage ride.
I have ridden in horse drawn carriages before, but it was a really long time ago. I would love to do it again when I can appreciate it more.

(me at Orchard House a few years ago!)
{photo credit: my dad!}

7. Write at the home of a famous writer.
This idea is a little different than the others, but it’s something that I personally would really love to do. Yes there’s nothing all that different between writing at the home of a famous writer or writing in your own home, but it seems exciting and inspiring. On my next visit to Mark Twain House or Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, I will bring my notebook!

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{photo credit: Matt Briney on Unsplash}

8. Be part of a historical war reenactment.
Reenactment is quite a hobby! There are tons of people who dedicate time to replicating famous historical battles. Being a girl, there are fewer chances to participate in Revolutionary Battles, but in the Civil War, it wasn’t uncommon (although it wasn’t socially acceptable) for women to be nurses, spies, or even disguise themselves as men in order to fight. A couple famous examples of female involvement in the Civil War are Louisa May Alcott serving as a nurse, and the infamous conspicuous confederate spy, Belle Boyd.

{photo credit: Project Gutenberg}

9. Own an original copy of one of my favorite books.
The other day, in looking for artwork for my room, I got caught in Etsy’s rabbit hole of vintage books. I found first edition copies of both Little Women and Anne of Green Gables. The prices for the Anne books are lower because they are newer (early 1900's), the Little Women books hover somewhere in the 1000+ range, but they are beautiful and oh so collectible. Someday, in my dream future library, I would love to have original editions of these favorite books. So, even though right now it’s a bit silly to drop 1000 dollars on an original autographed copy of Rilla of Ingleside, it’s still a goal for the future!

{photo credit: Aaron Burden on Unsplash}

10. Write a novel by hand
I just finished writing my first novel. It took eight months for only the first draft, and that’s on a computer. It always amazes me how all of the great writers from history wrote by hand or on a typewriter. What a slow process! And I can’t even imagine what the editing and rewriting process must have been like! Someday, when I have the perfect vintage/historic story idea, I want to attempt to write a tome by hand.

Which of these would you like to do? Have you done any of them?
Would you be interested in a bookish bucket list?