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John Steele Witmer Jr.

John Steele Witmer was born in Paradise, Pennsylvania, in 1877 and lived most of his life in Port Washington, New York, having moved there in about 1900.

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A full biography is in the works, along with a portfolio of his lifelong hobby of photography, which started in Lancaster County, PA and continued through his many decades in Port Washington, New York.

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The Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society, located in Port Washington, NY, on Long Island, is the owner of John Witmer Jr.'s collection of negatives

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including glass plate negatives from the 1890s and film based negatives starting in the early 1900s. The more than one thousand photographic negatives are often identified by Witmer's meticulous notes recorded in journals, providing dates and locations.  Check back in early 2026 for more specific examples.

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The Witmer House today!

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COW NECK PENINSULA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

336 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington, New York 11050
www.cowneck.org         516.365.9074          info@cowneck.org

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Images and text copyright Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society / All Rights Reserved

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