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Do you know where the phrase" Sleep Tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" originated from? The Sleep Tight part of the phrase was actually started somewhere in the 1600s. Folks used to sleep on something called a rope or cord bed. Rope beds were constructed of wood, usually maple or oak. The style of the bed is a basic Shaker style with a simple headboard, footboard and two side rails. Wooden pegs lined the wooden rails. Heavy cording or rope was woven like a net and pulled taut or tight. A mattress made of cloth and downy feathers was laid atop the cording. Hence the phrase "sleep tight" or make sure the cording of your bed is pulled up tight. I think the bed bug part was added later. Probably during a bed bug epidemic but don't quote me on that last part. The very thought of bed bugs makes me shudder.
Here is an excerpt from my class project.
Do you know where the phrase" Sleep Tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" originated from? The Sleep Tight part of the phrase was actually started somewhere in the 1600s. Folks used to sleep on something called a rope or cord bed. Rope beds were constructed of wood, usually maple or oak. The style of the bed is a basic Shaker style with a simple headboard, footboard and two side rails. Wooden pegs lined the wooden rails. Heavy cording or rope was woven like a net and pulled taut or tight. A mattress made of cloth and downy feathers was laid atop the cording. Hence the phrase "sleep tight" or make sure the cording of your bed is pulled up tight. I think the bed bug part was added later. Probably during a bed bug epidemic but don't quote me on that last part. The very thought of bed bugs makes me shudder.
Recently I was given an assignment for a creative writing class that I am taking. The lesson required me to find an object from my childhood. This object needed to be something extremely personal and thought-provoking. I was instructed to hold the object and study it for five minutes, then walk away, leaving the item for a few hours. I was then expected to sit down, close my eyes and describe the item from memory. I choose an item that was hand made for me by my grandfather Raymond S. Hill.
Here is an excerpt from my class project.
With eyes closed and heart open, I can feel you. I rub my fingers across your smooth wooden surface and feel the grainy dust that has collected on your worn veneer. I can feel your four posts that stand firm and sturdy and the twine string that is itchy and rough. As I take a deep breath, I can still smell the mixture of old varnish and the musty particles that dance inside my nose. The glue that binds the headboard to the bed rails is no longer soft and pliable but instead hard and brittle as if at any moment it will become undone and fall apart. I received you as a gift a lifetime ago. Yet even with eyes closed, I can imagine every peg and every spindle. There are still places on this miniature wooden bed that are rough and when rubbed the wrong way leave scratch marks on my fingers. I’ve memorized every nuance, every curve and every nail that gently but firmly holds you into place. Each nail head still cold to the touch yet fragile in my hands. You are the most precious gift that any granddaughter could ever receive. A tiny miniature Cord Bed. Hand made from my grandfather Raymond Hill.
My grandfather was quite the carpenter. and the object of my story was a gift that was handmade by my grandfather. the first ever miniature replica of an old fashioned Shaker Style Rope bed. The original bed was owned by my great grandparents and handed down to my grandfather. It's hard to date the actual bed but I can take an educated guess. I know for a fact that the bed was obtained by my great grandparents and it sat in their house in Vinton County. My grandfather shared with me that he slept in that bed as a boy. Since my Grandpa was born in 1918 I can surmise that the bed is at least 100 years old. Regardless of its true age, it is a valuable family heirloom that can be classified as a true antique.
My grandfather was quite the carpenter. and the object of my story was a gift that was handmade by my grandfather. the first ever miniature replica of an old fashioned Shaker Style Rope bed. The original bed was owned by my great grandparents and handed down to my grandfather. It's hard to date the actual bed but I can take an educated guess. I know for a fact that the bed was obtained by my great grandparents and it sat in their house in Vinton County. My grandfather shared with me that he slept in that bed as a boy. Since my Grandpa was born in 1918 I can surmise that the bed is at least 100 years old. Regardless of its true age, it is a valuable family heirloom that can be classified as a true antique.
Grandpa made several replicas for several of his small granddaughter's. The original bed sits inside a room at one of my aunt's homes. I recently visited that home to take pictures of the bed and reminisce about days long ago.
From my understanding, the original cord bed was purchased by my great-grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hill in Vinton Ohio. Our family is assuming this bed was acquired selling their homegrown honey or possibly by selling jars of delicious homemade apple butter and other garden delights. regardless of how it came into the family, my grandfather inherited it upon my great grandparent's death.
My Grandfather had regaled me with stories about this old bed. Tales of sharing the bed with his brother's. He claimed that three of them would sleep in that old hand-carved bed. The bed is actually very small so if three boys shared it they would have had to be very tiny children.
I remember Grandpa telling me that the best spot in the bed was the middle. It was the most comfortable spot and if the two boys on either side rolled over, they'd fall out of the bed. Looking back upon that conversation I kinda think he was pulling my leg. He did flash me an ornery grin and he had that twinkle in his eye that he always gives when he's about to tell you a real tall tale. Not only was the bed small but after spending only one night in that bed I realized that the middle of the bed was the worse spot. The cording began to loosen when you rolled around in the bed and the middle would sink lower and lower. Everyone in the bed would roll toward the middle and pile one on top whoever slept in the supposed coveted position.
I should of know something was up with grandpa's story. This is the same man who convinced me that he could magically make sauerkraut from a rock. I was gullible enough to believe that story too. In fact, he would guide me into the kitchen to show me the "magic rock" sitting in a crock, soaking in vinegar. Wouldn't you know after a few weeks my grandpa's rock would, in fact, become delicious sauerkraut? The reality was that the so-called rock was nothing more than a head of cabbage that he soaked in salt and vinegar. As the cabbage fermented It would turn a grayish color with dark spots. To a young naive blonde child that crock of cabbage looked like a crock with a rock in it. I still laugh at his stories. He had a few of them. To be honest, I miss those day's and I miss his amazing ability to take a simple story and spin it into a very believable tall tale.
This is a photo of the miniature replica Shaker style Cord bed made by Raymond S. Hill
I value the memory of the original bed, show below in these photographs. The most important memory though is the memory of the man who made it. I have the utmost highest regard for my grandfather. I believe that my grandfather himself was the greatest treasure of all. To those of us that were descendant's of him, we are the most fortunate of folk.
From my understanding, the original cord bed was purchased by my great-grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hill in Vinton Ohio. Our family is assuming this bed was acquired selling their homegrown honey or possibly by selling jars of delicious homemade apple butter and other garden delights. regardless of how it came into the family, my grandfather inherited it upon my great grandparent's death.
My Grandfather had regaled me with stories about this old bed. Tales of sharing the bed with his brother's. He claimed that three of them would sleep in that old hand-carved bed. The bed is actually very small so if three boys shared it they would have had to be very tiny children.
I remember Grandpa telling me that the best spot in the bed was the middle. It was the most comfortable spot and if the two boys on either side rolled over, they'd fall out of the bed. Looking back upon that conversation I kinda think he was pulling my leg. He did flash me an ornery grin and he had that twinkle in his eye that he always gives when he's about to tell you a real tall tale. Not only was the bed small but after spending only one night in that bed I realized that the middle of the bed was the worse spot. The cording began to loosen when you rolled around in the bed and the middle would sink lower and lower. Everyone in the bed would roll toward the middle and pile one on top whoever slept in the supposed coveted position.
I should of know something was up with grandpa's story. This is the same man who convinced me that he could magically make sauerkraut from a rock. I was gullible enough to believe that story too. In fact, he would guide me into the kitchen to show me the "magic rock" sitting in a crock, soaking in vinegar. Wouldn't you know after a few weeks my grandpa's rock would, in fact, become delicious sauerkraut? The reality was that the so-called rock was nothing more than a head of cabbage that he soaked in salt and vinegar. As the cabbage fermented It would turn a grayish color with dark spots. To a young naive blonde child that crock of cabbage looked like a crock with a rock in it. I still laugh at his stories. He had a few of them. To be honest, I miss those day's and I miss his amazing ability to take a simple story and spin it into a very believable tall tale.
This is a photo of the miniature replica Shaker style Cord bed made by Raymond S. Hill
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