Brookport is a city in Massac County, Illinois, United States. The population was 984 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. The former Mayor of Brookport, Tami Wessel, was one of nine Libertarian mayors in the United States as of 2017. History Brookport was founded by Charles Pell in 1855. It was originally known as "Pellonia," after Pell. The small city declined within a few years, but saw a resurgence with the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad nearby in the late 1880s. It was reincorporated as "Brooklyn" in 1888. The name was changed to "Brookport," a portmanteau of "Brooklyn" and "port," in 1901. Geography Brookport is located at (37.125056, -88.627218). The city is situated on the north bank of the Ohio River, opposite Paducah, Kentucky. US Route 45 traverses the city, connecting it with Paducah across the river to the south and Interstate 24 near Metropolis to the northwest. US 45 crosses the river over the Brookport Bridge, which is officially known as the "Irvin S. Cobb Bridge" in honor of author Irvin S. Cobb, who was born in Paducah. The two-lane steel deck truss bridge was completed in 1929. Lock and Dam Number 52, operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, is also located at Brookport. According to the 2010 census, Brookport has a total area of , of which (or 99.09%) is land and (or 0.91%) is water. Demographics As of the U.S. census of 2000, there were 1,054 people, 450 households, and 283 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 519 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.61% White, 7.12% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population. There were 450 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under