The property has gone through some minor changes over the years, but it still remains the house and store that sits on the corner of 9th Street and Umatilla Street in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
Puppeteer Steven Overton was a founding member of The Olde World Puppet Theatre before starting the Portland Puppet Museum in 2012. The collection boasts over 2,000 puppets from over 38 countries, and is so large that the museum rotates exhibits every four months.
In the past, the Portland Puppet Museum's building was home to Campbell's Grocery Store, City Hall and The First Baptist Church. The outside staircase to the left of the building was later relocated inside the building, and a door added to the front of the building.
As reported in Atlas Obscura, “Steven Overton has been collecting, designing, and building puppets for over 50 years. A certified master puppeteer by age 22, he knows what to do with them, too. The museum is his personal collection, and also one that—as he continues building new figures—expands day by day.”
The Portland Puppet Museum is open to the public most of the year, Thursday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., and largely relies on donations and sales from puppet show tickets and puppet-making workshops.
Shows and workshops usually sell out, so be sure to get your tickets in advance!