| Official Name: | Chitwood, Oregon |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Oregon#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Chitwood |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Coordinates: | 44.6547°N -123.8225°W |
| Timezone: | PST |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
| Elevation Ft: | 141 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Footnotes: | Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey[1] |
Chitwood is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States.[1] Chitwood lies on U.S. Route 20 between Toledo to the west and Eddyville to the east.[2] The Yaquina River flows through Chitwood.[2]
Historically, Chitwood was a station on the railway line between Corvallis and Toledo. It was named for Joshua Chitwood, who lived nearby during construction of the railway, 1881–85.[3] The line was originally known as the Yaquina Route of the Oregon Pacific Railroad, linking the former port city of Yaquina to Corvallis and Albany.[4] After the Oregon Pacific failed financially, fell into receivership, and went through 17 years of financial and legal complications, in 1907 it became a branch line of the Southern Pacific.[5]
The post office in Chitwood opened in 1887 and closed in 1945.[3]
Lincoln County built Chitwood Bridge, a covered bridge, at Chitwood in 1926. Scheduled for demolition, it was instead improved in 1984 through a federally funded restoration project. The Howe truss bridge is 96feet long.[6]