Located in the bump at the top of Kentucky bordering (just 5 miles south of Cincinnati) is the small community of 8000, Fort Mitchell. In this small town is the Vent Haven: Ventriloquist Museum. This quaint stop, for those vacationing in the community, will have you recalling experiences from when you were younger and watching the special ventriloquists bring you from the real world into the often times hysterical world of the “dummy”.
Vent Haven is unique in the museum world. It is the solitary one dedicated to the art of ventriloquism. It was formed by William Shakespeare Berger in 1894 when he was just 16 years old. When he died the collection had grown to a huge size and now has over 700 figures along with thousands of photographs and playbills, and a library of books.

Vent Haven (”vent” is terminolgy for “ventriloquist”) isn’t a big structure packed with dummies in glass cases for you to look at and read the little placards. It is in a private home with many small outbuildings also home to part of the collections and the fables they can tell. If you want to know anything related to the art of ventriloquism you can perhaps find the answer from Lisa Sweasy, the curator. She has more facts and history accessible to her than you will most likely ever have a need, or desire, to know.

There are those that tour ventriloquist the museum who are scared of the dummies…seriously…they believe they are being glared at by the dummies. Yes, the eyes are focused forward (in most cases) but seriously, it’s not human, it’s a dummy. Rest securely that it isn’t focusing special attention to you, it looks the same way at everyone that goes visits the museum..yes, everyone.

There are locations filled with the speechless dummies in various places, along the walls, seated on chairs and then of course there are the heads on the shelves that are not part of to a body. It could be the body has been lost or some other problem happened and so all that was left was the head. The museum treasures these too, they all have a history and a tale to tell.

The facial features of the dummy were very large to show the features to everyone in the theater, even those in the back seats. If you have ever seen a show with a ventriloquist you know that they are capable to take you out of the everyday and into the world of illusion with their humor and stories. Dummies don’t do well on TV or in videos since the features are so exaggerated, they are actually quite scary in those situations. Just remember the movie “Magic” and you will understand. How many of you have seen the movie “Chuckie”? Now how would you like to sit for some time with that dummy? There were even dolls made to look like Chuckie for a time. The curator of the museum, Lisa, believes that these movies poisoned the minds of a whole generation of people to the experience of ventriloquism.

There are famous dummies, not so famous dummies and those that no one but the owener probably remembers at all. But each one has a history that may be of interest to you. Each one has a tale to tell if you want to delve into it.

Why are people scared of the dolls? They are just dolls that have given people enjoyment for years. If you remember Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney or Waylon Flowers and Madam you have seen some of the classics in the world of ventriloquists. If you don’t remember them you should spend a little time researaching in the achieves of TV history and you will be able to find a clip showing how they “really seem alive.”

The museum doesn’t get their dummies from acutal living affinity to the dolls that they won’t let them go. Their children often times honor those feelings by holding on to the dolls too but, fortunately for the museum and the rest of us, the grandchildren often donate the dolls where they know they will be cared for and honored.

Most of the ventriloquists created their own heads. They seem so real from a distance that it’s hard to tell if they are real or a doll. It’s easy to see how the ventriloquist got so attached to their dolls that they held on to them even after their years in the entertainment came to and end.

You need to call ahead for reservations to visit the museum since they aren’t open without an appointment. Groups of less than 15 needs to request tours at least three days in advance. Larger groups need to allow two weeks.

Hours: May 1 - September 30 (by appointment)

Admission: Please leave a donation, a $5 is requested (strongly suggested but more is welcome.)

Length of tour: Between 45 and 90 minutes.

Phone: (859) 341-0461

Location: 33 West Maple Ave.
Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

Directions: Just off I-71/75 exit 188. US 127/42/25 north a half-block, then left onto West Maple Ave., a dead-end street. Museum is on the left.

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