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SCREVEN
COUNTY HISTORY
TIMELINE
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4000
to 6000 BC
Archaic Period
The first more or less permanent settlers in Screven
County |
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1000
to 2000 BC
Woodland Period |
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800
AD
Mississippian Period |
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1540
Hernando De Soto passed through Screven County |
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October
1674
Henry Woodward, a ship's surgeon, was the first white
man to set foot in what is now Screven County with the Westo Indians. |
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Prior
to 1700
The Yuchi American Indians lived between the Savannah
and Ogeechee rivers and on both sides of Briar Creek. They came from
the Tennessee River around 1715. |
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Prior
to 1750
A few white traders ventured into the territory. |
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1752
A German settlement was established by Dr. Johann Chistoph
Bornemann, called New Goettingen. |
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1758
What was then known as Screven County was divided into
two parishes, St. Matthew's, which is now Effingham County, and St.
George's, which is now Burke County. |
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1763
The Indians ceded the land between the Savannah and
the Ogeechee rivers to the white man. |
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1775
Population was 2380 white inhabitants and 1066 African-Americans.
Settlers came from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
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January
12, 1775
Screven County's first white child was born at the
New Goettingen settlement, Henrietta Bornemann. |
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March
3, 1779
Battle of Briar Creek |
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1784
Georgia land law made free land available. |
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1791
President George Washington visited the area. |
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December
14, 1793
Screven County was created by the Georgia legislature
from the lower part of Burke County and the upper part of Effingham
County. The first county seat was in Rocky Ford. |
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February
1, 1797
Jacksonborough was designated the county seat. |
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1799
Jacksonborough was created. |
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1815
Dell-Goodall House was built. |
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1843
The railroad was built from Savannah to Macon through
Screven County. |
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December
24, 1847
Sylvania was created by the legislature. |
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August
10, 1848
A U.S. Post Office was established in Sylvania. |
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December
3, 1864
General William Tecumseh Sherman entered Screven County
and burned the railroad depot at Millen and marched through Screven
County into Bulloch County, destroying the railroad as they went. |
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1879
Sylvania Telephone newspaper began. |
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January
8, 1897
Fire destroyed Sylvania's downtown business district. |
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1897
The new brick Screven County Courthouse was built. |
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1904
Jenkins County was created out of portions of Screven,
Burke, Bulloch and Emanuel counties. |
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1947
Sylvania celebrated its Centennial. |
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1953
First Annual Screven County Livestock Festival. |
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