Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

The Vent Haven Museum is located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and is the only museum in the world devoted to ventriloquist figures and memorabilia. The museum was founded by William Shakespeare Berger, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Berger purchased his first ventriloquist figure Tommy Bologna in 1910, and it was then his fabulous collection began to take form. From the 1940's through the 1960's, Berger was the president of the International Brotherhood of Ventriloquists. With the assistance of his attorney's, Berger set up a charitable foundation for his assets, property and ventriloquist collection.

The Vent Museum was first located in the Berger home and then in his renovated garage, however, the collection outgrew the location. In 1973, the Vent Museum first opened its doors to the public and a third building was dedicated. The museum has over 700 ventriloquist figures, pictures, playbills, and a library with some books that date back to the 1700's.

One of the most popular attractions at the museum is Jacko. Jacko is a ventriloquist puppet, and thought to be created between the years of 1939-1941, designed and built by George and Glenn McElroy, and used exclusively by W.S. Berger. Jacko was first simply called the Mechanical Monkey; the puppet is 36 inches tall, and made of plastic and wood. The monkey was made to be used with a hurdy gurdy, and an organ grinding act, and was purchased at a cost of $125, paid in $25 installments. Jacko was repaired by the McElroy's in 1974, and today is on display in Building One of the museum.

Other popular ventriloquist figures featured at the museum are; Billy, Champagne Charlie, Coram Head, Elmer, Farfel, Granny, Gutters and hundreds of others. Guests are invited to get up close and touch the figures, and research and become educated about the history and preservation of these whimsical creations. Visitors are invited to video tape and take pictures with a non-flash camera, tours are approximately 45 minutes in length, and guests are accompanied by a knowledgeable tour guide providing interesting commentary along the way.

Guests wanting to arrange for a private tour can do so by contacting the museum via email or telephone. Groups of fifteen people or less are asked to allow up to three days for arrangements to be made. Larger groups will need to allow for up to two weeks for the request to be processed and the tour to be organized.

The museum is available for touring by appointment only, during the months of May through September. Each year, an estimated 900-1200 people, from all over the world visit the facility. The Vent Museum is the perfect location to discover the interesting history and art of ventriloquism.