CANFIELD — “Nighty-night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

That phrase is often spoken to children at bedtime, but few know the origin of “sleep tight” part actually comes from and refers to. Those who visit the Western Reserve Village and see the historic log cabin will be privy to that information this year.

Sleep tight is a reference to a rope bed, according to Western Reserve Village Foundation President Jamie Davis.

“If the rope of a rope bed were not stretched tight one would be sleeping on the floor,” Davis said.

The new, old addition to the Village came earlier this summer when Thomas and Linda Troutman-Schell asked Davis if the Village wanted the 19th Century bed that had gone through six generations. The Troutman-Schell family had donated a watering trough to the Village several years back. The bed was a welcome addition, but it was in Florida.

“We checked on the cost to bring it here and the shipping fee was $1,200,” Davis said.

She had relatives in Florida and decided to make the trip and bring the bed back on her return. When she got the bed here, she noticed some damage to one of the posts. Matt Baird from Baird Brothers Sawmill provided the wood and expertise to repair the vintage piece and get it ready for the fair. The preparation took five women to make sure the ropes were tight.

The bed is in place in the old log cabin and fairgoers can see what people used to sleep on before box springs and bed slats.

Also in the Village this year is the continuation of the Blind Herb Garden. This unique display was brought to the fair by Carrie Burkey, who was a founder of the Holborn Herb Growers Guild, known for the beautiful gardens at the Western Reserve Village and in Boardman Park.

Burkey said she worked with Mike Bosela from the local Society for the Blind on a display for the visually impaired.

The design was to build a table to hold pots of herbs. It was built at the height so a person in a wheelchair could easily reach. It also included Braille signage to allow for identification after touching and smelling the herbs.

“This year we will have three different versions of yarrow,” said guild member Yvonne Ford.

The Blind Herb Garden is located in front of the vintage Erie Railroad Station in the Western Reserve Village.

Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse
The five-woman crew who assembled the heavy, vintage rope bed in the log cabin at the Western Reserve Village at the Canfield Fair are Jamie Davis, Yvonne Ford, Kathy DuBois, Theresa Young and Gail Patrick. The bed is from the 1800s and was used by six generations.