Massac County was formally organized on February 8, 1843. The county was formed out of territory from both Johnson and Pope counties. According to history, in the mid-19th century after the revolutions of 1848, the Midwest including Massac county, received many German immigrants. In Metropolis (the county seat) alone, German immigrants make up one-third of the counties population. With the being said, the county’s population count is 15,429 residents with a total area of 242 sqaure miles.