LOGAN, Ohio — When a hobby turns into a passion, there is no telling how far it can go; proof of that, can be found at a unique Ohio museum.

Rose Arthur works at the visitor center and says while most people come to Logan to visit Hocking Hills State Park, they also come from all over just to see the Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum.

“It’s the largest collection in the United States,” said Arthur. “It started with three metal sharpeners and just took off.”

Inside a tiny building next to the Hocking Hills Welcome Center, there are 3,450 sharpeners. Rev. Paul A Johnson started the collection in 1989. For over two decades, his sharp eye for unique finds led the collection to where it is today.

“You’ll find plastic, metal, and even glass sharpeners,” said Arthur. “Simple to elaborate, ones thathang on the wall, ones that are handheld. You name it, you’ll find it here.”

The collection is separated by category, with the oldest sharpeners on the lower shelves and sections for food, travel, music and more on the shelves above. There is also a book detailing the proper way to sharpen a pencil.

Arthur said the nostalgia each visit offers draws her in.

What started as a quirky hobby now serves as an important preservation of history.

“We have kids coming in. They don’t use pencils anymore,” said Arthur. “They get this look on their face like what’s a pencil sharpener? I think at one time, they really will be hard to find.”

Following Paul Johnson’s death in 2010, his wife Charlotte agreed to move the collection to the welcome center so others can enjoy it. The Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum is now open daily in Logan.