If it were not for a few residents, Chitwood would truly be a ghost town. The area was heavily wooded and not far from the Pacific Ocean when its first settler moved in during the 1860s. Not until 1887 was a school built which tells something about the slow growth of the settlement. Life was hard at first for the land had to be cleared before crops could be planted. The only "mining" done in Chitwood was that from a fine vein of sandstone suitable for the construction of buildings. The influx of workers for the quarry helped the local economy but only for a short while. What changed Chitwood the most was the coming of the Corvallis and Eastern railroad, later the Southern Pacific. The town prospered as a stopping point but it was not to last. The road to the coast was rerouted and paved which shortened the distance to coastal communities. When automobiles and trucks became available, tourists and freight began to use the shorter route to the coast. Southern Pacific discontinued service thus sealing the fate of Chitwood. The few residents who remain do so because they love the scenic beauty and solitude of Chitwood. SUBMITTED BY: Henry Chenowith

The Chitwood Covered Bridge is still standing.  It was constructed in
1926 by Otis Hamar and is 96 feet in length, spanning the Yaquina River.  (Few covered bridges survive in Oregon, however, the nearby North Fork Yachats Bridge stands also, further west.  It was constructed by the same man, and was his last work.)  Pepin's Grocery store, located adjacent to the Chitwood Bridge, operated until the 1950s.  Sometime after, a fire broke out at the store.  Embers ignited the bridge, only a bucket brigade of locals saved it.  The bridge became dilapidated until it was restored in 1984. The World Guide number for the Chitwood Bridge
is: 37-21-03.  In 1979, it was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places (#79002103.)  Unfortunately, many important buildings of Chitwood are gone: The train depot was demolished, the grocery burned, and the general store fell apart; recent photos of the area don't even reveal a debris pile.  The continuation of the bridge ensures visitation to the site, and remembrance, as roadsigns off major highways point the way to the famous bridge.  -Kathryn Davidson