Previously part of Jackson and Upper Mahanoy townships in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Jordan Township was formed during the mid-nineteenth century and named in honor of Judge Alexander Jordan, who was the first publicly elected president judge of the county.

In 1852, "a petition was created for its erection at January sessions ... and referred to George C. Welker, John Young, and William M. Rockefeller; the report was confirmed nisi, April 5, 1852, and absolutely, August 4, 1852.

[6] That year, the major businesses in the township were the Wirt mill in Jordan, which had been erected a century earlier, and a tannery owned by J. W. Seal in the village of Jackson, which was also home to the former Bull Run Tavern that had been converted into a hotel.

Other communities at the time included Hebe, which functioned as a mail distribution hub and was located in the northeastern section of the township, and Urban, which was located in the northern part of the township and was home to an old hotel on Tulpehocken Road that had been built during the early 1800s and was owned, in 1891, by David Schwartz.

15.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was sixty-five years of age or older.