The shed where the sharpeners are kept at Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum

©Barbara Noe Kennedy/Lonely Planet

Paul A Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum

Ohio


Who collects pencil sharpeners? Rev Paul Johnson of Carbon Hill, Ohio, did for nearly 20 years, and his eccentric collection of thousands – America’s largest – is on display in a dedicated shed at the Hocking Hills Welcome Center in Logan.

You’ll find US presidents, panda bears, the Eiffel Tower, skateboards, a monster that belches... The oldest dates from 1906, and the rarest is probably the World Trade Center.