Around 1810, early Tennessee settler Francis ("Frank") Jordan and his seven brothers began the construction of a fort atop a hill in present-day Franklin County.

The construction of these forts was in response to the danger of attack during Tecumseh's War, which culminated in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

Then-governor of the Illinois Territory, Ninian Edwards, actively encouraged the construction of these forts and offered the services of the Saline Militia in their erection.

Since the Shawnee Trail, an important trading route linking Kaskaskia, Illinois and Old Shawneetown, Illinois, ran along the high ground in the vicinity of the fort, this area became an attractive destination for settlers in search of cheap land made available by the recently passed Bit Act of 1850.

In the late 1940s, four theatres and a minor league baseball team (see below) marked the downtown area.

According to lifelong residents, everyone in West Frankfort was affected by this tragedy, including grade schoolers of the time who remember their own losses or the suffering of classmates.

After the catastrophe, the West Frankfort Junior High School became a temporary morgue for identification of the bodies,[8] with many calls going out for funeral directors.

The explosion received national attention from the wire services, newspapers and Life Magazine.

[citation needed] Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson visited the site to support those mourning.

[citation needed] The area was in totality during the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, with Giant City State Park, approximately 25 miles (40 km) to the southwest, experiencing the longest period of totality during the eclipse (approximately 2 minutes and 40 seconds).

West Frankfort is also home to Candy Cane Lane, a large lights display featured every year around Christmas.

In 2019, areas of Candy Cane Lane were featured on the ABC show The Great Christmas Light Fight.

The Society features a large research library, and maintains a microfilm of U.S. Census and local newspapers.

West Frankfort was formerly the home of at least two radio stations, and local media source WFCN News operates outside of town.