Before becoming its own borough, about half of West Conshohocken was in Upper Merion Township. On October 16, 1874 West Conshohocken was incorporated with equal land taken from Upper Merion and Lower Merion townships. These 602 acres were a section called Balligomingo, the Indian name for the area. The land was given to William Penn by the Unami tribe of the Lenni-Lenape nation of Indians in the Treaty of 1683.
Due to its proximity to the river, there existed a large number of mills and other industries utilizing water power. The borough was incorporated as a result of its new industrial character.
With the merging of school districts in 1966, the schools of West Conshohocken joined with Upper Merion and Bridgeport schools to become the Upper Merion Area School District.