Our History

We are always on the hunt for the history which surrounds The Lady. Below is what we have pieced together. If you come across past photos or knowledge, send us a Facebook message.

The Sentimental Lady Saloon’s history dates back to the late 1800’s when the Mount Clemens area was popular for the mineral bath houses. At that time, it was within a city called Lakeside. The street cars would ride up and down what is known as Jefferson today. The area was so popular that two hotels were built on Lake St. Clair near Crocker, The Lakeside Resort and the St. Clair Hotel. The Resort included an Inn and a Hotel where people enjoyed the the lake and frog legs. The St. Clair Hotel was built in 1896 on Frank Campau’s farm which is where Speedway currently stands today. It is believed that either the Resort or the St. Clair Hotel burned down. What remained was the dance hall which was relocated across the street to where the Sentimental Lady now stands. The new building’s date of 1949 is documented in the Harrison Township Assessing Office. The building was known as a few different names including The Pontchartrain which had a seasonal license and was only open 9 months out of the year. In 1980, this property ultimately was established as The Sentimental Lady Saloon by the owners we know today, Joe and Carol. Joe ran The Lady and turned it into the local neighborhood bar that everyone knows and loves. Joe passed but Carol picked up the torch and has run the saloon on her own where it still stands today on the corner of Crocker & Jefferson. It continues to be the neighborhood corner bar where everyone knows each other.

Sources:

Images of America - Marie Ling McDougal 2002, The Lost Villages of Harrison 1995, Judi Frocillo - daughter of The Ponchetrain owner, Harrison Township Assessing Department Land & Property and Geo.A.Ogle & Co/Standard Atlas / U of M Library name.umdl.umich.edu/3927830.0001.001. Thank you to Lisa Eschenburg, Chairperson of the Macomb County Genealogical Group, for her guidance.