Rexhame Beach is characteristic of a barrier beach which is defined as a low-lying, narrow strip of land consisting of a coastal beach and its coastal dune. It is separated from the mainland by a fresh or saline marsh system, such as the South River and its marshes. Rexhame Beach protects the mainland and marshes from coastal storms and floods. Many types of vegetation are found on Rexhame Beach. Beach grass is a fragile plant that holds the dunes together. By simply breaking one blade of beach grass the plant can die immediately. When we walk on beach grass, we are contributing to the destruction of the beach. Beach grass is responsible for the shape of each dune. Dune plants are practical, beautiful, and abundant throughout the dunes. They can also be very sharp between the beach grass and the dune is poison ivy. All of these plants act as homes for many varieties of wildlife.

On the landward side of Rexhame Beach lives a small community of wildlife. Numerous animals make their burrows under dune plants, which also provide sanctuary for a flourishing bird community. Many species of gulls and terns nest in this area. The Beach/Recreation Department has been providing a Dune restoration Project for several years. The effort has proven successful in slowing down man-made and storm erosion, but help from the public is essential to dune protection. If you would like help, contact the Beach/Recreation Department. The dunes protect all creatures and add a unique beauty for us to enjoy. But there is much erosion due to walking and riding on the beach. If we act now, we can preserve the dunes and will enjoy Rexhame Beach for years to come.

Rexhame means King's hamlet or village. The area was settled by Winslows, Watermans, Bournes, and Beadles between 1640 and 1643. The first "occupants" of Rexhame Beach might have been cattle as a 1685 ordnance gave pasturage rights forever to those who lived adjacent to the beach. The North River was a major shipbuilding center. Marshfield shipbuilders built ships that were sailed around the world by Marshfield sea captains. The strong northeast storms that swept the area made Rexhame the setting for many shipwrecks. The Minerva went down in 1780. In 1885, Agnes R. Bacon came ashore at Beadles' Rock in a blizzard. In the Great Storm of 1898, the Myrtis H. Perry grounded 200 yards off the beach. Parts of the Myrtis H. Perry came ashore during the Blizzard of 1978. It was this storm that broke through a new mouth for the North and South Rivers, closing the old one at Rexhame Beach.

In 1892, eight Methodist ministers bought land directly across from the mouth of the North & South Rivers and in 1896 added more acreage, part of which belonged to Peregrine White. In 1895 the ministers formed the Sea Rivers Associations apportioning out building lots and setting aside about 100 acres of marsh, beach, and common land. In 1950 the Sea Rivers Club (so designated in 1935) sold over 5 acres of marsh to the Town of Marshfield for $15,000 and this became the Town Beach. In 1972, the Association and Club merged and became the Sea Rivers Trust which set up preservation restrictions and in effect has given historic preservation in the town of Marshfield.