Chitwood, Oregon

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Chitwood is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Oregon. It sits on U.S. Route 20, between Toledo to the west and Eddyville to the east, and the Yaquina River flows through the area.

The community grew around a railway station on a line that connected Corvallis and Toledo. It was named after Joshua Chitwood, who lived nearby during the railway’s construction (1881–85). The line was once called the Yaquina Route of the Oregon Pacific Railroad, linking Yaquina to Corvallis and Albany. After financial troubles, the Oregon Pacific failed and, in 1907, became a branch of the Southern Pacific.

Chitwood’s post office operated from 1887 to 1945. Lincoln County built the Chitwood Covered Bridge in 1926. It is a 96-foot Howe truss bridge that was nearly demolished but was restored in 1984 with federal funding.