Duxbury Beach
Encyclopedia
Duxbury Beach is a beach
in the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. It is four miles long and is accessed by the Powder Point Bridge from Duxbury.
It is a barrier beach, defined by sand dunes, rosa ragusa, and beach grass
. It is 50 yards wide at some points, and is the sole land access to the villages of Saquish and Gurnet Point
across the town line in Plymouth, the only land area where the two towns meet. The northern residential end is protected by an Army Corps Of Engineers concrete seawall
.
One of the first trans-Atlantic cables came ashore here at Rouse's Hummock, and the first call was made on it (to President James Garfield
) by Napoleon III.
It is the home of the former Gurnet Classic Beach Run.
Piping plover
s nest there, protected by the town's conservation officers. There is a town beach and a public beach. The north end is developed, while the southern end is marred only by an access road.
Duxbury Beach suffers terribly in hurricanes and nor'easter
s. It is widely considered to be the focal point of damages in both the Blizzard of '78
and the 1991 Perfect Storm.
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
in the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. It is four miles long and is accessed by the Powder Point Bridge from Duxbury.
It is a barrier beach, defined by sand dunes, rosa ragusa, and beach grass
Ammophila breviligulata
Ammophila breviligulata is a species of grass that is native to eastern North America, where it grows on sand dunes along the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes coasts...
. It is 50 yards wide at some points, and is the sole land access to the villages of Saquish and Gurnet Point
Gurnet Point, Massachusetts
Gurnet Point, also known as The Gurnet, is located at the end of the peninsula at the entrance to Plymouth Bay in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and is a headland and the small private settlement located on it. The Pilgrims who settled Plymouth in 1620 named it Gurnett’s Nose for its resemblance to...
across the town line in Plymouth, the only land area where the two towns meet. The northern residential end is protected by an Army Corps Of Engineers concrete seawall
Seawall
A seawall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides and waves...
.
One of the first trans-Atlantic cables came ashore here at Rouse's Hummock, and the first call was made on it (to President James Garfield
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive...
) by Napoleon III.
It is the home of the former Gurnet Classic Beach Run.
Piping plover
Piping Plover
The Piping Plover is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck...
s nest there, protected by the town's conservation officers. There is a town beach and a public beach. The north end is developed, while the southern end is marred only by an access road.
Duxbury Beach suffers terribly in hurricanes and nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
s. It is widely considered to be the focal point of damages in both the Blizzard of '78
Northeastern United States Blizzard of 1978
The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic and historic nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions to the New England region of the United States and the New York metropolitan area. The "Blizzard of '78" formed on February 5, 1978 and broke up on February 7, 1978...
and the 1991 Perfect Storm.