Screven County, Georgia  Screven County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,593. The county seat is Sylvania. 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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (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. As of the census of 2000, there were 15,374 people, 5,797 households, and 4,104 families living in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 6,853 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 53.56% White, 45.29% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.