Nadeau’s Sportsmen Bar – Port Huron, Michigan

2320 Connors Street
Port Huron, Michigan
Blue Water Bridge Route. Highway 146 and U.S. 25. The only Crystaline Ceramic Bar in U.S.A.
Back Bar trimmed in silver dollars.
We were hosted by Roy, Marion, LeRoy Nadeau

Nadeau’s Sportsmen Bar was located at 2320 Connors Street in Port Huron, Michigan. The bar opened toward the end of 1957. LeRoy Nadeau, the owner and proprietor was something of an interesting fellow.

Born in Detroit on April 25, 1908, Nadeau graduated from Miller-East High School and then would go on to attend Walsh Business Institute in Chicago. Shortly after that, he would work as an overseer for Sears, Roebuck & Co for over 15 years. He married Marian Dolan on May 25, 1935 in Detroit.

He and Marian opened a small grocery store in Detroit for a time being and then moved to Marine City, Michigan around 1949. Almost immediately after moving, they came to operate the Marwood Inn.

On January 16, 1953, the Nadeaus and Liza Cornelius, a waitress at the Marwood, were held up at gunpoint by two armed men, bound with tape and robbed of over $2,000. The two men were arrested a month later in Detroit. They were identified as members of a group of criminals that were responsible for numerous robberies in the area dubbed “The Tape Gang.” The gang was known for binding its victims with electrical tape.

The Nadeaus would eventually sell the Marwood Inn in 1957 and start a small bar for the blue-collar worker to unwind. In fact, Marian called the new place “their working man’s bar on Electric Avenue. Nadeau’s Sportsmen Bar featured a handsome bar area in which the back was line with in-laid silver dollars.

Nadeau’s was a popular drink spot in Lake Huron for nearly 25 years. The decor would change from the postcard above after a 1967 renovation. Nadeau now 74 years old, citing age and his other duties, sold the bar to two businessmen in 1982.

Nadeau was very involved in civic and social organizations. LeRoy was elected as the faithful navigator of the Port Huron Knight of Columbus on four consecutive occasions. He also served on the Port Huron Planning Commission, was president of the Michigan License and Beverage Association and was president of the South Park (Michigan) Businessmen.

Nadeau died on September 30, 1986. The bar remained opened for quite a while (until the late 1990s/early 2000s) and ultimately closed. A new restaurant/bar known as the Conner Street Pub now occupies the building.