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All the United States Ohio Logan Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum
AO Edited

Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum

It took more than 20 years and a sharp eye for one man to assemble this quirky collection.

Logan, Ohio

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Some of the brass collection   alisoni (Atlas Obscura User)
Some of the brass collection   alisoni (Atlas Obscura User)
The whole museum is inside the shed   Afjsdoiuqnnn / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the collection   alisoni (Atlas Obscura User)
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
The man himself, and a citation from the Ohio State Senate   alisoni (Atlas Obscura User)
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
A guidebook for the uninitiated pencil sharpener   Afjsdoiuqnnn / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Star Wars pencil sharpeners   jsetear / Atlas Obscura User
Panorama converting the rectangular interior of the collection into a linear version. This collection includes sharpeners both from the titular collector and a follow on contributor.   jsetear / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Collecting pencil sharpeners and assembling them into a museum dedicated to pencil sharpeners is a kind of eccentric thing to do. Step inside the Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum in Logan, Ohio and it somehow seems perfectly admirable.

The Pencil Sharpener Museum is the result of over 20 years of collecting by Ohio local, Rev. Paul A. Johnson. His wife gave him a couple of car-shaped sharpeners in the late 1980s, and his zeal for collecting was born. The sharpeners lived in a pre-fab shed in Johnson’s backyard, growing over time to over 3400 at the time he passed away in 2010. His family was holding onto them when salvation for the whole collection – and the shed – came calling in 2011. It was the Hocking Hills Welcome Center, happy to take on the job of collection custodian, and everything was moved over to their site in South Logan.  

Just like any museum, the collection has been meticulously cataloged and preserved in protective cases. There are sharpening cars, toys, Garfields, Mickeys, Tweetybirds, tractors, airplanes, trains, U.S. presidents, panda bears. There are old ones and new ones, and some shelf-mounted classics you generally only see at the library. Try to be sharp on your puns though—the staff has heard them all.

Related Tags

Pencils Writing Niche Museums Collections Museums And Collections Museums

Know Before You Go

Logan, Ohio is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The Pencil Sharpener Museum is out back at The Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center in just off Hwy 33 on the way to Lake Logan. They are open every day from 9am to 5pm, Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

Community Contributors

Added By

Afjsdoiuqnnn

Edited By

PushingUpDaisies, jsetear, ianlefk, beartooths2

  • PushingUpDaisies
  • jsetear
  • ianlefk
  • beartooths2

Published

May 19, 2016

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  • http://www.ohio.org/destination/logan/art-exhibitsexhibitions/paul-a-johnson-pencil-sharpener-museum
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/7952
Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum
13178 OH-664
Logan, Ohio, 43138
United States
39.536321, -82.444589
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

The Caves of Hocking Hills State Park

Logan, Ohio

miles away

Nelsonville Brick Park

Nelsonville, Ohio

miles away

Hope Iron Furnace

New Plymouth, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Logan

Logan

Ohio

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Caves of Hocking Hills State Park

Logan, Ohio

miles away

Nelsonville Brick Park

Nelsonville, Ohio

miles away

Hope Iron Furnace

New Plymouth, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Logan

Logan

Ohio

Places 2

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