The club claimed a foundation date of 1881, although there is reference to a Bo'ness Football Club existing in 1878. The earliest record of a match is of a pair of fixtures against the
Grasshoppers club's second XI of
Bonnybridge in late 1881. The club moved to Newtown Park in 1886, opening the ground with a fixture against
Dumbarton F.C., losing 4–0. It joined the Eastern Football Alliance in 1891, but the league failed to complete its first season. After winning the
East of Scotland Shield in 1894–95, Bo'ness returned to competitive league football in 1901 as a member of the
Central Football Combination and eventually ended up in the
Central Football League. Along with much of the membership of the group, Bo'ness were admitted to the newly expanded
Scottish Football League Second Division in 1921. Bo'ness offered free admission to local unemployed people after 30 minutes of play. The club struggled to raise the £50 match guarantee to visiting clubs in 1931, but was surprisingly re-elected. The failure to pay the match guarantees to
Stenhousemuir F.C. and
Brechin City F.C. in October 1932 meant that the club was expelled from the League; the blame was put on "industrial depression and the opposition of dog racing in neighbouring towns". The club had an overdraft at the time of £500 and the club's record of 4 wins, 2 draws, and 8 defeats was expunged. Bo'ness continued as a non-league side until 1939, appearing in the
Scottish Football Alliance, Edinburgh and District League, Scottish Football Combination and the
East of Scotland Football League. Future
Scotland international Alex Munro also came through the ranks at this time. The club survived
World War II but merged with local side '''Bo'ness Cadora
to form junior club Bo'ness United''' in 1945. ==Stadium==