Elsie, MI

Elsie is a Clinton County village in central Michigan, with 930 residents in the 2020 census. Founded and platted in 1857, it incorporated in 1885 and occupies two noncontiguous pieces within Duplain Township. The smaller section contains Riverside Cemetery, so the village’s boundary has an unusual split built into its map. Elsie takes its name from Elsie Tillotson, the daughter of an early settler. Ovid-Elsie Area Schools connects the village with Ovid and nearby townships.

Village life runs through a few recognizable places. Elsie Park and Hero Park give the community gathering and play space, while the village’s water and sewer department and police department handle the town-sized civic work. The annual Dairy Festival and fall festival put dates on the local calendar, and a memorial fire pit in the park carries the name of a local student. The Maple River and old iron bridge sit outside the compact center, adding a bit of landscape to the village story. Elsie is a small Michigan place with a split boundary, a named cemetery, school ties, and a calendar built around neighbors meeting in the park.