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History · Sylvania

Sylvania’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Sylvania. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1790established
4old images & papers
8recent photos
From Sylvania’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The area was inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of indigenous peoples. By the time of European encounter, it was occupied by the Yuchi peoples, but some Creeks, the Uchee's allies, moved into the area during Colonial times.

The town of Sylvania was founded in 1790 by settlers migrating to the area after the American Revolutionary War. The word "Sylvania" comes from the Latin word sylvan or sylva which means "forest land" or "place in the woods."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1790Established
1947Photograph of downtown Sylvania, Georgia, 1947Commons
1950s3 items · Photograph of the exterior of the Oge…Commons
1960–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first

Start Sylvania’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sylvania’s history is told.

2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewPhotograph of downtown Sylvania, …, 1947: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from SylvaniaWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Sylvania.Meet them →
By decade

Sylvania, decade by decade

1940s1 item
Photograph of downtown Sylvania, Georgia, 1947CommonsPhotograph of downtown Sylvania, Georgia, 19471947
1950s3 items
Photograph of the exterior of the Ogeechee Tractor Company, Sylvania, Georgia, 1951CommonsPhotograph of the exterior of the Ogeechee Tractor Company,…1951Photograph of vocational agriculture students learning about tractor operation and maintenance from an instructor, Sylv…CommonsPhotograph of vocational agriculture students learning abou…1951Photograph of vocational agriculture students learning about tractor operation and maintenance from an instructor, Sylv…CommonsPhotograph of vocational agriculture students learning abou…1951
1960s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today8 photos
Georgia FarmCommonsGeorgia Farm2013Sylvania city square at night, Sylvania, GaCommonsSylvania city square at night, Sylvania, Ga2011Screven County Court, Sylvania, GaCommonsScreven County Court, Sylvania, Ga2011Post Office, Sylvania, GaCommonsPost Office, Sylvania, Ga2011Methodist Church, Sylvania, GaCommonsMethodist Church, Sylvania, Ga2011High School, Sylvania, GaCommonsHigh School, Sylvania, Ga2011First Baptist Church, Sylvania, GaCommonsFirst Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga2011GAMap-doton-SylvaniaCommonsGAMap-doton-Sylvania2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Sylvania is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Sylvania has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Seaborn Goodall House in Hiltonia, 5.2 miles away.

Sylvania and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Sylvania. Tap a dot.
Seaborn Goodall HouseBrier Creek BattlefieldSamuel Shepard Lines HouseGeorgia Welcome CenterMcCanaan Missionary Baptist Church and CemeteryHarris-Murrow-Trowell House

Closest to Sylvania

Seaborn Goodall HouseHiltonia · Building5.2miBrier Creek BattlefieldSylvania · District11.2miSamuel Shepard Lines HouseHiltonia · Building13.4miGeorgia Welcome CenterHiltonia · Building15miMcCanaan Missionary Baptist Church and CemeteryGirard · Building16.8mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Seaborn Goodall House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Sylvania?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Sylvania’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Photograph of downtown Sylvania, Georgia, 1947 (1947) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Hiltonia📜 Rocky Ford📜 Newington📜 Oliver

From Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

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