Ask Jeb Stuart to speak about himself, and he’ll likely steer the conversation right to Harrisburg.
Growing up in Camp Hill, he used to ride his bicycle into the capital city, taking in the church architecture, getting a haircut at the old Penn Harris Hotel, and dropping by his father’s clothing store.
“I gravitated toward Harrisburg,” he said. “It was in my blood from day one.”
Stuart’s maternal grandparents lived on N. Front Street, in a 1927 southern Colonial-style home built by his grandfather, E. C. Snyder—founder of a Harrisburg lumber mill—in 1911.
The Snyder home is now the residence of Stuart and his wife, Robin. Its preservation in near-original appearance has been an extensive labor of love for the couple, one that earned the Historic Harrisburg Preservation Award in 2008.
But that’s just one of Stuart’s many efforts on behalf of the city. Historian, preservationist, developer, civil servant—he’s done it all.
For his lifetime of commitment, Historic Harrisburg recently sponsored “A Toast to Jeb Stuart.” Appropriately, the celebration was held at Harrisburg’s most historic building, the John Harris and Simon Cameron Mansion, which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year.
“Few people have contributed to the vitality of this community as extensively, and with as much dedication, as Jeb Stuart, “ said HHA interim executive director David Morrison. “Jeb has devoted his life to Harrisburg.”
A Different Path
Stuart might easily have become a businessperson—that was in his blood, too. His father, Allan Stuart, opened his first store in 1935. Later, he ran the 212 Men’s Shop in the Mary Sachs store before going off on his own again.
But the younger Stuart took a different path. A special consultant to the city of Harrisburg for 10 years, he helped coordinate the Civil War Trails project. He also was involved in the creation of the African-American Heritage Trail and chaired the Harrisburg SusqueCentennial Commission from 2009 to 2010.
Among other commitments, Stuart is a board member of the Historical Society of Dauphin County, the Harrisburg Cemetery Association and Historic Harrisburg’s Community Historic Preservation Fund.
Previously, he was on the boards of Historic Harrisburg Association and the National Civil War Museum.
In fact, Stuart shares the name of a famous Civil War general, but, ironically, one from the Confederate side. His given name is James Allan III, but even before birth, he was told, his father called him “Little Jeb.”
“My father went to the University of Virginia and was always into the romance of the South,” he said.
A Gem
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Susquehanna University, Stuart went to work for Harrisburg—as city clerk. He hasn’t stopped serving the city since.
It’s hard to summarize all of his accomplishments, so I asked him what he considers to be most significant. One, he said, was historic preservation.
Decades ago, when the Harristown Urban Renewal Plan was being developed, one of the goals of the Downtown Harrisburg Historic Preservation Project, which Stuart directed, was to target buildings for preservation that were potentially included on the plan’s demolition list.
This was particularly true with Old City Hall on Walnut Street. Stuart nominated it to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it was subsequently sold for adaptive re-use and market rate housing.
Another was the Cameron School project, for which Stuart was managing general partner, with Arnie Kogan as his business partner. Stuart oversaw the drive to convert the old schoolhouse, in a transitional neighborhood, to 35 upscale apartments.
“The apartment project, the Simon Cameron School Apartments, at 1839 Green St., planted the seed to transform and stabilize the neighborhood,” Stuart said.
He placed the property on the National Register of Historic Places and gained historic tax credits to bring in an investor. He also managed the building for 12 years.
Stuart also was director of the Dauphin County Office of Economic Development and a charter member of the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, as well as chair of the Authority’s Economic Development Committee.
From 2011 on, he has been a consultant-at-large. He was instrumental in reestablishing the Harrisburg Parks Foundation, which he chairs. The foundation raises funds to support the preservation, maintenance, expansion and development of parks throughout the city.
A golf outing sponsored by the foundation recently raised $8,000, a portion of which was used to buy a new swing set for an Allison Hill playground. This summer’s outing will raise money for the band shell in Reservoir Park.
Stuart is not a man of intensely pursued hobbies. He works “all the time,” he said, including on his landmark house. But he does enjoy classical music—especially Baroque—and historic photography.
“I’m a stay-at-home guy,” he said.
With one clear exception. He and Robin always make time for the beach they love at their house in Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Still, his ongoing love affair with Harrisburg takes precedence. When David Morrison interviewed him as a “living legacy” as part of the SusqueCentennial celebration, Stuart spoke eloquently.
“The city is a wonderful urban environment,” he said. “The setting is stunning…. It is architecturally a gem.”
