Royalton is a village in Franklin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,151 at the 2010 census. History According to the original surveys of Illinois, in the early 19th century the Lusk's Ferry Road ran through the middle of what is now Royalton, heading on a diagonal line toward the southeast. The Lusk's Ferry Road was an important early road connecting Fort Kaskaskia with Lusk's Ferry on the Ohio River. No trace of this road remains near Royalton. It is not clear whether the road figured in the early history of the town, or if it was long forgotten before Royalton came into existence. Royalton was established in 1907. On October 22, 1914, an explosion in the North Mine of the Franklin Coal & Coke Company killed 51 miners. This was the worst mine disaster to date in the coal fields of southern Illinois. Geography Royalton is located in southwestern Franklin County at (37.880196, -89.113509). Illinois Route 149 passes through the center of town, leading north and east to Zeigler and west and south to Hurst. According to the 2010 census, Royalton has a total area of , of which (or 99.29%) is land and (or 0.71%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,130 people, 516 households, and 314 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 577 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.65% White, 0.09% Native American, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.27% of the population. There were 516 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and