Leake

Formed December 31, 1833 (35^th county)

Leake County (21,272), Carthage (4,898)

The 1935 tan brick Art Deco and Neo-Classical facility sits on a square at Main, Pearl, Franklin, and Court Square streets.  Mississippi State Highway 35 goes two blocks west of the location.  E. L. Malvaney is the building designer.  The building was renovated in 1976.  Leake County was formed on December 31, 1833 from parts of Madison and Rankin counties as the 35^th county with Carthage as the only county seat.  It is named for Governor Walter Leake.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Greene County.  The county seat is named for Carthage, Africa.  Leake County was the birthplace for 1 Mississippi Governor, Ross R. Barnett. 

Leake County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Three Chancery Court Judges serve Leake, Holmes, Madison, and Yazoo counties and Two District Court Judges serve Leake, Neshoba, Newton, and Scott counties.  The county is in central Mississippi.  The geographical center of Mississippi is 9 miles west-northwest of Carthage in the county.  Jackson, Mississippi is southwest and Memphis, Tennessee is northwest of the county.  The county center is 7.5 miles Northeast of Carthage nearer Redwater.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Attala, Winston, Neshoba, Newton, Scott, and Madison counties. 

The area of the county is 583 square miles.  It is 38 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 46 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 36.5 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 82 in the state.  Leake County has 26.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is a rectangle.  Carthage is slightly west of center in the county.  Carthage is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 23.0% of the county population.

Sebastopol