Formed in 1857 from part of North Manheim Township, it was founded by and named for John Chapman Cresson, a Philadelphia civil engineer and manager of the Schuylkill Navigation Company, president of the Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad, and the chief engineer of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.

Until the Mine Hill Road was built in Cressona, the borough remained mostly wilderness, with some minor agricultural areas.

The borough was historically called West Haven, but the name was changed to Cressona.

[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), all land.

The racial makeup of the borough was 98.53% White, 0.06% African American, 0.92% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, and 0.37% from two or more races.