Pencil sharpener museum? Nation's largest collection to reopen in Ohio

LOGAN, Ohio (WCMH) -- A museum regarded as the largest collection of pencil sharpeners in the nation is reopening in Ohio.

The Rev. Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum at the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center in Logan is reopening on Jan. 20 after undergoing a two-year renovation. More than 5,000 sharpeners line the walls of the brand new facility, built by the tourism association after the museum's original shed-like structure was unrepairable.

"Visitors are always wowed by the breadth of the collection, which never fails to transport them back to their childhood," said Audrey Martin, Hocking Hills Tourism Association Deputy Director who led the rebuilding project. "We’ve had families drive from as far away as Texas specifically to see the museum. And people from around the globe have stopped in as part of their visit to the Hocking Hills."

The world's only pencil sharpener museum, the original space was housed in a small garden shed at the home of collector Paul Johnson and his wife. After Johnson’s passing, his wife, Charlotte, agreed to move the collection to the Hocking Hills Welcome Center in 2011. Johnson's family retains ownership of the collection and his daughter, Carol, will be on hand for the Jan. 20 ribbon cutting.

Hocking Hills' Tourism Association said the collection swelled in 2022 to around 5,000 pencil sharpeners after more than 1,000 were donated from Florida native Frank Parades, a longtime antiques enthusiast with a similar pencil sharpener penchant. After Parades passed away, his wife, Stephanie, discovered the Pencil Sharpener Museum and immediately knew it was the ideal home for her husband's collection. 

As Parades traveled the world, his souvenirs were always pencil sharpeners, including the earliest models from the early 1800s, which were produced in Spain and have many moving parts. The tourism association said museum guests are encouraged to try and discover the subtle differences in similar-looking sharpeners.

The Pencil Sharpener Museum is one of several quirky experiences guests will find when visiting Hocking Hills. Columbus Washboard Co., the last remaining washboard factory in America, is still making washboards and welcoming travelers for tours. And Hocking Hills Orchard boasts the largest collection of apple tree varieties, with visitors invited to pick their own apples and learn incredible apple history, trivia and tips from orchard owner, apple historian and amateur horticulturist Derek Mills.

Learn more about making a visit to Hocking Hills' Pencil Sharpener Museum here.