Jackson Township is a township located in northern Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The population was 414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The unincorporated village of Buttonwood is also in the township. In Buttonwood there is a covered bridge over Blockhouse Creek, a tributary of Little Pine Creek.
Jackson Township is bordered by Tioga County to the north, McIntyre Township to the east, Cogan House Township to the south, and Pine Township to the east.
Jackson Township was once part of Lycoming Township. At the time Lycoming Township stretched from the West Branch Susquehanna River to the northern border of Lycoming County. The residents of the northern part of the township became dissatisfied with their representation in township matters. Most of the officers of the townships were from the southern most portions near the river and they tended to forget about their neighbors to the north. The concerned citizens of the northern portions of Lycoming Township petitioned that a township for their interests be formed from Lycoming Township. The Pennsylvania General Assembly agreed and Jackson Township was formed in September 1824. The township was named for Andrew Jackson who was then know as the hero of the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. He was not to become President until 1829.
Peter Sechrist was one of the first settlers to arrive in Jackson Township. He moved there from Liverpool, Pennsylvania in 1811. Sechrist cleared the land for a farm and also constructed a saw and gristmill. His mills were the first of their kind in the area and his child, Daniel, was the first white child born in the area. Other earlier settlers, seeking their fortune, arrived from York County. Two sets of brothers, Jacob and Daniel Beck and George and Daniel Miller first stopped in Williamsport before moving further to the north. They cleared some dense wilderness and established their homesteads in what is now eastern Jackson Township.
The population of Jackson Township was 619 according to the 1890 census. It as since declined to 414 residents as of the 2000 census. The area is largely mountainous and is covered with a thriving second growth forest.
