[3] 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.

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.

Dixon Hollingsworth, ed., The History of Screven County, Georgia (Dallas, Tex.