Twickenham is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Wheeler County

Wheeler County, Oregon

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,547 people, 653 households, and 444 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile . There were 842 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile...

, in the U.S. state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It is located along the John Day River

John Day River

The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. Undammed along its entire length, the river is the third longest free-flowing river in the conterminous United States. There is extensive use of its waters for irrigation. Its...

 between Service Creek

Service Creek, Oregon

Service Creek is an unincorporated community in Wheeler County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Service Creek lies on Oregon Route 19 near its intersection with Oregon Route 207. It is also near the mouth of a stream, Service Creek, formerly Sarvis Creek, that empties into the John Day River.A...

 and Clarno

Clarno, Oregon

Clarno is an unincorporated community in Wasco County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located along Oregon Route 19 near the John Day River....

. A bridge at Twickenham carries North Twickenham Road over the river.

The locality was originally named Contention after a quarrel between two of its prominent residents. The Contention post office opened in 1886. A daughter of one of the residents involved in the quarrel suggested that the name Twickenham, after the London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 suburb in England, would be more dignified than Contention. As it happened, the Contention post office closed in 1895, and a Twickenham post office opened in 1896 in the same general vicinity. It closed in 1917, and mail to Twickenham thereafter has been sent via Fossil

Fossil, Oregon

Fossil is a city in and the county seat of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. The name was chosen by the first postmaster, Thomas B. Hoover, who had found some fossil remains on his ranch. The population was 473 at the 2010 census.- History :...

, about 20 miles (32.2 km) to the north.

After formation of Wheeler County in 1899, Twickenham was suggested as a possible county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

. A county-wide election held in 1900 produced 436 votes for Fossil, 267 for Twickenham, and 82 for Spray

Spray, Oregon

Spray is a city in Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. The population was 160 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...

. At the time, Twickenham had a store, hotel, blacksmith shop, and a ferry across the river.