The Duxbury Beach Reservation hosted an open house last Saturday in which they officially opened the beach and unveiled a new harbormaster’s shack, along with new signs placed throughout the beach.

The Reservation has been working on getting the new signs on the beach since last summer.

Inspiration for the changes came from Robert and Anna Millar, who donated both their time and money to the Reservation for many years.

In 2007, a widowed Anna made a large donation to the Reservation, but died on the day that she was to announce her gift. In remembrance, the Reservation installed the Millar Stone. Visitors this summer will see the engraved stone next to the boardwalk. This stone represents the changes and improvements that the Reservation has made, Maggie Kearney, President of the Reservation said.

“We wanted everything to look natural,” Jason Wolfson, a trustee, said. The Reservation wanted to create a consistent feel throughout the beach, but to also have the least amount of signage as possible, Wolfson said.

The Reservation catalogued every sign on the beach and worked with Mike Pforr, the town’s endangered species officer, to determine which signs could be removed or replaced.

Norman Forgit, a graphic designer, designed the new beach signs. Forgit was also the designer behind the “Duxbury Beach Book,” which was published two years ago and is available for sale through the Reservation. Forgit used the same colors and general design from the book with the signs.

The new “Welcome to Duxbury Beach” sign is perhaps the most important new sign. The careful wording on the sign reads “owned and operated by the Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc., in cooperation with the town of Duxbury.” The Reservation wanted to make sure that visitors knew that the beach was privately owned, and that the trustees and volunteers with the Reservation worked hard to make the beach what it is today.

“Our goal is to make people appreciate what we have here,”  Kearney, said.

The first thing visitors will notice when they cross the bridge is the new harbormaster shack. The shack is the same size as the old one, but has a larger overhang on the roof, giving harbormasters some relief from the sun.

The Reservation has more plans for the shack, including installing a pergola in front with information about the beach and different animals and plants found on the beach. A map and two information boards will also be placed on the shack, giving visitors information about the weather and ocean conditions.

“I’m very happy (with the results),” Kearney said.