Although the Missouri General Assembly organized Scotland County on January 29, 1841, the town of Memphis was not developed until more than two years later. County commissioners met at Sand Hill on May 15, 1843, to select the county seat. They chose a spot near the county's geographical center and, after some debate, named it Memphis, after Memphis, Egypt. The name had been previously used by a U.S. Post Office that operated near the North Fabius River a short distance away.