Screven County, Georgia

Screven County Education, Geography, and History

Screven County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 14,593. Screven County was created on December 14, 1793. The county seat is Sylvania. The county is named in honor of General James Screven (1744-1778), a hero of the Revolutionary War.

Etymology - Origin of Screven County Name

The county is named for Revolutionary War General James Screven who died in the war.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Screven County History

Screven County, the 14th county formed in Georgia, was named for Revolutionary War General James Screven who died in the war. Created in 1793 from parts of Burke and Effingham counties, parts of the original county later formed Bulloch and Jenkins counties.

The founding of Sylvania is said to have been the result of a curse. In 1821 an itinerant minister, Lorenzo Dow, came to preach at the local church in Jacksonborough, the small town that was at that point Screven's county seat. A pack of rowdy drunks attacked Dow but he was rescued by a man named Seaborn Goodall. Later, as Dow was leaving town, he was attacked again. As he stood on the bridge out of town, he prayed that the town be destroyed except for the home of Goodall. Within 30 years, Jacksonborough had disappeared due to mysterious fires and floods. By 1847, a new town, Sylvania, grew up just south of the site of Jacksonborough and became the county seat.

Points of Interest

The Savannah River is the county's eastern border and is also the border between Georgia and South Carolina. The Ogeechee River forms the southwestern boundary of the county.

The Brier Creek Battle Site, with visible breastworks, is a Revolutionary Battle Site located east of Sylvania.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 656 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 645 square miles (1,670 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.6%) is water.

 Screven county is located in east Georgia. The Savannah River borders the eastern side of the county, and the Ogeechee River borders the southwest portion. Elevation varies to around 40 feet on the Savannah river to 320 feet at the Bay Branch community, located a few miles west of Sylvania. Pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees prevalent to the South can be found in Screven County. The county is in the Ogeechee River basin and the Savannah River basin.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Allendale County, S.C.
• East: Hampton County, S.C.
• Southeast: Effingham County
• Southwest: Bulloch County
• West: Jenkins County
• Northwest: Burke County

Education

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