Red Maple Inn Bed and Breakfast, Burton,OH., Scenic Lodging in Amish Country....

Red Maple Inn History - Ohio State Bird - Cardinal in winter.

Good Night, Sleep Tight

Ever wonder about the phrase? In the days of Umberfield’s settling in Burton, they had rope beds. At night, they would pull the rope through the bed frame and when they lay down, the rope would stretch and they would sink further and further into the bed until it wobbled.

So, they pulled the rope through the holes in the frame until they got to the end where there was a knot. They took a rope key, put the key around the knot and turned the key so that the bed would tighten up. The knot was retied and the phrase “good night, sleep tight,” was born.

Although history abounds in Burton Village and surrounds the Inn, we guarantee that you will sleep tight on a much more modern extremely comfortable bed.

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If you really want to go back to the roots of the Inn, you could start in 1798 when the Umberfield family arrived in Burton from Connecticut.

One of their children, Stella, married Eleazer Hiscox and in 1838 they built the home that now serves as the main museum of Century Village Historical society. She wanted her father to move into her home with her family, but he refused to leave his log cabin. Being creative pioneers, they dismantled his house and in 1849 moved the entire house to the Hiscox house and attached it to the side porch.

Since then the Hiscox house has become the main complex of the Century Village Historical Society and many unique and interesting buildings and homes have been moved to the grounds and restored to their original beauty.

The village has several restaurants, a wonderful library, several antique shops, a grocery store, hardware store and a bank. But for all the unique things to see and do in the Village, one had to drive at least half an hour and for the most part actually leave the county to enjoy the beauty of Burton and it’s surrounding Amish community.

Then, along came a man with a vision.

Just like Bob Newhart did it in his TV series, Gordon Safran changed his career. Gordon, along with his wife, Evie sold their 42 store E.B. Brown Opticians chain in 1996. Gordon had always loved the Burton area, especially the breathtaking views into the Cuyahoga Valley.

He saw the need for a country inn where people could relax. Also a place for special events and business conferences. Gordon, as owner of E.B. Brown, had many of his meetings in the country and found he “got much more done” then when in an urban setting.

However it was easier said than done, as he encountered many roadblocks before the Inn was opened in March of 1999. It took over a year to convince the out-of-state landowner to sell the property, at a hefty price on top of it. Another year was needed for Burton Village to approve the project and still another year to build it.

“It was well worth it as it has all the amenities I’ve thought necessary in a bed and breakfast. In fact, Evie always wanted all the lights out in our own room when we traveled and I liked a light on. So, we had a win-win situation when we had a light without a switch placed in the bathroom. Now people can open or shut the door for the amount of light they want!” Safran said.

The above is just a short history of this unique bed and breakfast. We hope you will come and stay with us, and become part of our history as well as our future.