Most of the officers of the townships were from the southernmost portions near the river and they tended to forget about their neighbors to the north.

The township was named for Andrew Jackson, who was then known as the hero of the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.

Other earlier settlers, seeking their fortune, arrived from York County.

They cleared some dense wilderness and established their homesteads in what is now eastern Jackson Township.

The area is largely mountainous and is covered with a thriving second-growth forest.

The Buttonwood Covered Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

U.S. Route 15, the Appalachian Thruway, passes through the center of the township, with access from Exit 158 at Buttonwood.

The eastern part of the township is drained by tributaries of Lycoming Creek, another tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna: Grays Run in the southeast, and Roaring Branch in the northeast.

14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.