diff --git a/app/common/lib/historyUtil.js b/app/common/lib/historyUtil.js
index 995cf35250d..dfcf5597a7b 100644
--- a/app/common/lib/historyUtil.js
+++ b/app/common/lib/historyUtil.js
@@ -160,8 +160,8 @@ const mergeSiteDetails = (oldDetail, newDetail) => {
 }
 
 const getDetailFromFrame = (frame) => {
-  if (frame == null) {
-    return Immutable.Map()
+  if (frame == null || !frame.has('location')) {
+    return null
   }
 
   return makeImmutable({
diff --git a/app/common/state/historyState.js b/app/common/state/historyState.js
index 4dd8cf41401..130d378f3fc 100644
--- a/app/common/state/historyState.js
+++ b/app/common/state/historyState.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const {STATE_SITES} = require('../../../js/constants/stateConstants')
 const historyUtil = require('../lib/historyUtil')
 const urlUtil = require('../../../js/lib/urlutil')
 const {makeImmutable, isMap} = require('./immutableUtil')
+const shouldLogWarnings = process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production'
 
 const validateState = function (state) {
   state = makeImmutable(state)
@@ -33,8 +34,20 @@ const historyState = {
   },
 
   addSite: (state, siteDetail) => {
+    if (!siteDetail) {
+      if (shouldLogWarnings) {
+        console.error('historyState:addSite siteDetail was null')
+      }
+      return state
+    }
     let sites = historyState.getSites(state)
     let siteKey = historyUtil.getKey(siteDetail)
+    if (!siteKey) {
+      if (shouldLogWarnings) {
+        console.log('historyState:addSite siteKey was null for siteDetail:', (siteDetail && siteDetail.toJS) ? siteDetail.toJS() : siteDetail)
+      }
+      return state
+    }
     siteDetail = makeImmutable(siteDetail)
 
     const oldSite = sites.get(siteKey)
diff --git a/app/renderer/components/frame/frame.js b/app/renderer/components/frame/frame.js
index 603a717171f..b83170c5f2f 100644
--- a/app/renderer/components/frame/frame.js
+++ b/app/renderer/components/frame/frame.js
@@ -620,8 +620,17 @@ class Frame extends React.Component {
         // calling with setTimeout is an ugly hack for a race condition
         // with setTitle. We either need to delay this call until the title is
         // or add a way to update it
+        // However, it's possible that the frame could be destroyed, or in a bad
+        // way by then, so make sure we do a null check.
         setTimeout(() => {
-          appActions.addHistorySite(historyUtil.getDetailFromFrame(this.frame))
+          const siteDetail = historyUtil.getDetailFromFrame(this.frame)
+          if (siteDetail) {
+            appActions.addHistorySite(siteDetail)
+          } else if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
+            // log, in case we decide we want these entries to go in to the history
+            // but do not send a null entry to history as it will be rejected
+            console.error('frame: siteDetail was null when calling addHistorySite')
+          }
         }, 250)
       }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/app/common/lib/historyUtilTest.js b/test/unit/app/common/lib/historyUtilTest.js
index 646b9c90d24..6e550a6a39e 100644
--- a/test/unit/app/common/lib/historyUtilTest.js
+++ b/test/unit/app/common/lib/historyUtilTest.js
@@ -297,7 +297,13 @@ describe('historyUtil unit tests', function () {
   describe('getDetailFromFrame', function () {
     it('null case', function () {
       const result = historyUtil.getDetailFromFrame()
-      assert.deepEqual(result, Immutable.Map())
+      assert.deepEqual(result, null)
+    })
+
+    it('no location case', function () {
+      const badFrame = Immutable.Map().set('partitionNumber', 0)
+      const result = historyUtil.getDetailFromFrame(badFrame)
+      assert.deepEqual(result, null)
     })
 
     it('returns details', function () {