Originally settled as Meekerville after pioneer Benjamin Meeker, the community was renamed Leslie by Jerry G. Cornell for a prominent Leslie family from his native eastern New York, with the name adopted when the post office opened in 1841 source
Community character
Small rural city in southern Ingham County, about 28 miles south of Lansing and 17 miles north of Jackson just east of US 127, incorporated as a village in 1869 and as a city in 1968, with a 2020 census population of 1,927 and surrounded by but administered separately from Leslie Township source
City of Leslie Historical Marker
Ingham County historical marker in downtown Leslie at East Bellevue Street and Commercial Drive that recounts the settlement's founding as Meekerville and its renaming to Leslie when the post office was established in 1841 source
First Baptist Church of Leslie
Gothic Revival church at 204 East Bellevue Street that was the first church built in Leslie, constructed between 1856 and 1858 and clad in brick during an 1887-88 remodel, with a state historical marker erected in 1991 source
Leslie Area Historical Society Museum
Local history museum operated by the Leslie Area Historical Society that preserves records and artifacts from Leslie and the surrounding communities source
Russell Park
City park on North Main Street with a large wooden playground, restrooms, picnic tables and grills, and two pavilions that residents can reserve at a discounted rate source
Tuttle Park (Veterans Memorial Park)
Memorial park at the corner of West Bellevue and Armstrong Streets with a gazebo that residents can reserve for small gatherings source
