Screven County, Georgia

History

The county was created on December 14, 1793, and was named for General James Screven, who died fighting in Georgia during the American Revolutionary War. Some wartime accounts used the alternate spelling of "Scriven" for the general, and the county's name was often spelled that way in its early history, as reflected on 19th-century Georgia maps.

Sylvania became the county seat in 1847, moved from Jacksonborough, by an act of State legislation. The Screven County Courthouse, built in 1964, is the fourth courthouse to serve Screven County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 656 sqmi, of which 645 sqmi is land and 11 sqmi (1.6%) is water. 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 very northern portion of Screven County, defined by a line running from Girard southeast and parallel to State Route 24 to the South Carolina border, is located in the Middle Savannah River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A north-central section of the county, from Sylvania north and centered on Hiltonia, is located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin. The southern portion of Screven County, from Newington running northwest through Sylvania, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The remaining southeastern corner of the county is located in the Lower Savannah River sub-basin of the larger Savannah River basin.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Allendale County, South Carolina (north)
• Hampton County, South Carolina (east)
• Effingham County (southeast)
• Bulloch County (southwest)
• Jenkins County (west)
• Burke County (northwest)

Communities

Cities

• Hiltonia
• Oliver
• Sylvania

Towns

• Newington
• Rocky Ford

Unincorporated

• Cooperville
• Dover
• Halcyondale
• Millhaven

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 14,067, 5,646 households, and 3,395 families residing in the county. The median age was 43.2 years, with 22.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.0% aged 65 or older.

For every 100 females there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.0 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 57.5% White, 37.7% African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

There were 5,646 households in the county, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 6,500 housing units, of which 13.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.9% were owner-occupied and 28.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Screven County is a Republican stronghold, voting 62.5% for Donald Trump in 2024. With the exception of 1928, Democrats carried the county in every election up until 1960. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton both carried the county twice. Since 2000, the county always votes with the Republicans.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Screven County is part of Georgia's 12th congressional district, currently represented by Rick Allen. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Screven County is part of District 23. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Screven County is part of district 159.

Notable people

• John Abbot, naturalist, entomologist, wrote The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia
• Lee Rogers Berger, explorer, paleoanthropologist
• Edward Junius Black, member of the United States House of Representatives (1839–1841; 1842–1845)
• Bucky Dent, New York Yankees shortstop (born in Savannah) but spent his early years in Sylvania
• Francys Johnson, senior NAACP official
• Macay McBride, Major League Baseball pitcher
• John R. McKinney, Georgia's most decorated World War II hero
• Louie De Votie Newton, pastor and president of the Southern Baptist Convention
• Sam Sommers, former NASCAR Driver, former Georgia Late Model Racing Champion, and Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member

References

Dixon Hollingsworth, ed., The History of Screven County, Georgia (Dallas, Tex.: Curtis Media Corporation, 1989).

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13251.html

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. US 2020 Census Bureau report, Screven County, Georgia
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. "The City of Sylvania, Georgia".
5. Hellmann, Paul T.. (May 13, 2013). "Historical Gazetteer of the United States". Routledge.
6. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
7. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
8. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
10. (1880). "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800". United States Census Bureau.
11. (1910). "1910 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
12. (1930). "1930 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
13. (1940). "1940 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
14. (1950). "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -". United States Census Bureau.
15. (1980). "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
16. (2000). "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
17. "Explore Census Data".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
19. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
21. "Georgia General Assembly".
22. "Georgia General Assembly".
23. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
24. (November 5, 2022). "2022 Senate Election (Official Returns)".