# High Watch

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Colonial house in Rhode Island

High Watch High Watch (left) partially visible on Watch Hill High Watch Location within Rhode Island Show map of Rhode Island High Watch High Watch (the United States) Show map of the United States Former names Holiday House, Harkness House General information Type House Architectural style Colonial-style[1] Location 16 Bluff Avenue, Watch Hill, Rhode Island 02891 Coordinates 41°18′28.8″N 71°51′19.08″W / 41.308000°N 71.8553000°W / 41.308000; -71.8553000 Construction started 1929 Completed 1930 Owner Taylor Swift Technical details Floor area 11,000 sq ft (1,000 m2)

**High Watch** (formerly named **Holiday House** but locally known as the **Harkness House**) is an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) home in [Watch Hill](/source/Watch_Hill%2C_Rhode_Island), a [historic district](/source/Historic_district) in [Westerly, Rhode Island](/source/Westerly%2C_Rhode_Island), United States. It is the most expensive private home in [the state](/source/Rhode_Island).[2] The American singer-songwriter [Taylor Swift](/source/Taylor_Swift) is the current owner of the property.

A [Colonial-style](/source/American_colonial_architecture) mansion, High Watch sits on a 5-acre (2.0 ha) seafront estate that includes a private beach. The estate is situated atop Watch Hill's namesake [hillock](/source/Hillock), which was used as a lookout point during the [Seven Years' War](/source/Seven_Years'_War) and the [American Revolution](/source/American_Revolution).

The house was built in 1929–1930 for the Snowden family, owners of an oil company, who named it Holiday House. It was then inherited by the [Standard Oil](/source/Standard_Oil_Company) heiress [Rebekah Harkness](/source/Rebekah_Harkness)—notorious amongst the local residents for her lavish lifestyle—in 1954. In 1974, businessman Gurdon B. Wattles purchased and renovated the house, renaming it as High Watch due to its location.

Swift purchased the house for [US$](/source/United_States_dollar)17,750,000 in 2013. The house has since been a subject of publicity and media attention, mostly known for being the venue of Swift's annual [Independence Day](/source/Independence_Day_(United_States)) parties, attended by a range of celebrities. Inspired by its history and Harkness, Swift released the song "[The Last Great American Dynasty](/source/The_Last_Great_American_Dynasty)" in 2020.

Several [stalking](/source/Stalking), [trespassing](/source/Trespassing), and [home invasion](/source/Home_invasion) incidents have been reported at the house since Swift's purchase. In 2015, High Watch inspired a proposal by the then-[Governor of Rhode Island](/source/Governor_of_Rhode_Island), [Gina Raimondo](/source/Gina_Raimondo), to impose a [luxury tax](/source/Luxury_tax) on expensive secondary homes in the state, nicknamed the "Taylor Swift Tax".[note 1] In 2017, Swift was sued by her neighbors over her decision to build a [seawall](/source/Seawall) on the beach as plaintiffs argued the beach had been dedicated to the public over the years and Swift had no ownership of it; the courts ruled in Swift's favor, asserting the seawall prevents [coastal erosion](/source/Coastal_erosion).

## Design

Holiday House was built in 1929-1930 by "an eminent Philadelphia architect", in a "hulking Colonial style pile".[1] The house sits on over 700 feet (210 m) of shoreline, containing 8 bedrooms, 10.5 bathrooms and 8 fireplaces.[1] The reception rooms include a 36-foot-long parlor, a 45-foot-long sun room, and an octagon-shaped formal dining room with built-in [china](/source/China_(material)) cabinets.[1] The kitchen reportedly contains a warming drawer and wine cooler, with an adjoining sitting room. There are four bedrooms on the second floor with [en-suite bathrooms](/source/Ensuite_bathroom), and an expansive master suite with two bathrooms. The suite contains a sitting room with a wet bar as well as a [widow's walk](/source/Widow's_walk) terrace.[1] Lower levels include a recreation room, a service kitchen, a five-car garage, and a heated workshop. The estate also contains a swimming pool and a summer house.[1]

## History

### Prior to building

Watch Hill, on which the house would later be constructed, was the site of a signal station during the [French and Indian War](/source/French_and_Indian_War) and used by Colonial forces as a lookout spot for British ships during the [American Revolution](/source/American_Revolution).[3]

### Snowden family

Holiday House was built in 1929-1930 for Pearl Pinkerton McClelland Snowden[4] of Philadelphia, the widow of George Grant Snowden, who had died in 1918. It stands as a landmark for sailors on the great bluff from which Watch Hill takes its name. Mrs. Snowden had acquired the historic and dramatic site from the estate of Eugene Atwood in 1929. Holiday House included a large servants quarters on what is now the northeast lawn. The servants quarters were demolished during extensive renovations carried out in the 1970s by Gurdon B. Wattles.

The Snowdens, beginning with George Grant Snowden's father, James McKean Snowden, who was born in 1831 and lived in Pittsburgh, had made their fortune in oil and gas exploration. George Grant Snowden and his brother, James Hastings Snowden, explored for oil first in Pennsylvania and then in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The Snowden family is of Welsh descent, with ties to Welsh, English, and Scottish royals. Pearl was a descendant of pilgrim [Edward Fuller](/source/Edward_Fuller_(Mayflower_passenger)), the [House of Stuart](/source/House_of_Stuart), and [Robert Burns](/source/Robert_Burns).

The [1938 New England hurricane](/source/1938_New_England_hurricane) and associated storm surge caused significant damage to the hillside facing the ocean. In order to stabilize the badly eroded hillside, George Grant Snowden Jr. had thousands of granite boulders put in place,[5] which remain there to this day.

Ownership of the property passed to George and Pearl's son Robert Burns Snowden, who died in an automobile accident when driving from the house in 1941, at age 23.[6] It was Robert's heirs who sold the property in 1948 to William Hale Harkness, heir to the Standard Oil Company fortune.[7]

### Harkness family

American socialite [Rebekah Harkness](/source/Rebekah_Harkness) purchased High Watch in 1948.

[Stephen Vanderburgh Harkness](/source/Stephen_Vanderburgh_Harkness) was a progenitor of the extended Harkness family. He and his step-brother [Henry Flagler](/source/Henry_Flagler) invested heavily with [John D. Rockefeller](/source/John_D._Rockefeller) in [Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler](/source/Rockefeller%2C_Andrews_%26_Flagler), the corporate forerunner to [Standard Oil](/source/Standard_Oil). Harkness became the second-largest shareholder, which made him extremely wealthy.[8] Harkness was a silent partner, though he served on Standard Oil's board of directors until his 1888 death.[9][10]

Vanderburgh Harkness's half brother [Daniel M. Harkness](/source/Daniel_M._Harkness) was a trustee of Standard Oil and a very rich man. He left his money to his son [William Lamon Harkness](/source/William_L._Harkness).[11] William fathered two children with Edith Hale:[12] Louise Hale Harkness (1898–1978) and William Hale Harkness.[13] In 1947, William Hale married [Rebekah Semple West](/source/Rebekah_Harkness),[14] who was previously married to Dickson Pierce.[15] William Hale Harkness died in 1954, and Rebekah remarried twice:, first to Dr. [Benjamin Harrison Kean](/source/Benjamin_Kean), then to Niels H. Lauersen.

William Harkness, who had spent the prior summer with his family in Holiday House before his marriage to Rebekah, bought the house from Robert Snowden's heirs in 1948 for $80,000.[7] Rebekah apparently was quite unpopular with her neighbors, doing unusual things such as cleaning her pool with champagne,[16] and gambling with a wide range of guests, such as Spanish artist [Salvador Dalí](/source/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD).[2] Her erection of a temporary ballet stage on the grounds faced not only objections from neighbors but also from the state Supreme Court.[17] She used her late husband's fortune to support charitable causes, such as the [Joffrey Ballet](/source/Joffrey_Ballet).[16] She withdrew funding when the Ballet refused to rename itself in her honor, and she created her own dance company called [Harkness Ballet](/source/Harkness_Ballet),[18] hiring most of the Joffrey Ballet's dancers.[19] The Harkness Ballet closed in 1975.[20] Rebekah also funded medical research.[21][22] Locals today still refer to the house as the Harkness House.[23] In 1954, the house had an assessed value of $116,300.[24]

### Watch Hill Associates

The Watch Hill Associates purchased the property in 1972. They intended to have the home demolished in September 1974, so that the land could be used for a trio of smaller homes. A "final party" at the location was held August 11, 1974; over 500 people attended this fundraiser.[25][26]

### Gurdon B. Wattles

The Gurdon B. Wattles family bought Holiday House in 1974,[4] renaming it High Watch. The Wattles family remained at High Watch until 1996.[27]

### Taylor Swift

[Taylor Swift](/source/Taylor_Swift) (pictured in 2013), the mansion's current owner

In 2013 American singer-songwriter [Taylor Swift](/source/Taylor_Swift) purchased High Watch[28] for US$17.75 million.[2] From 2013 to 2016 she received widespread press coverage for hosting annual [American Independence Day](/source/Independence_Day_(United_States)) parties on the estate, featuring numerous celebrity guests and lavish decorations often depicted on [Instagram](/source/Instagram).[29][30] *[Cosmopolitan](/source/Cosmopolitan_(magazine))* compared the parties to "legendary parties in the history of United States", such as the [Met Gala](/source/Met_Gala) and the *[Vanity Fair](/source/Vanity_Fair_(magazine))* [Oscars party](/source/Oscar_party), and called it one of the most exclusive invitations in the U.S.[31] *Vanity Fair* opined, "few annual celebrity-hosted gatherings are surrounded by as much outsized mythos as Taylor Swift's Fourth of July party".[32] The parties attracted controversy from local residents, who complained about the influx of [paparazzi](/source/Paparazzi) into Watch Hill and the unsolicited attention that Swift brings to the community.[33][34] The parties were not held from 2017 to 2022. Although Swift did not disclose why, media outlets cited her stepping out of the spotlight and the [presidency of Donald Trump](/source/First_presidency_of_Donald_Trump) as reasons. She resumed the tradition in 2023.[35][36][37] A "star-studded" party Swift hosted at the house on August 24, 2024, drew extensive coverage.[38][39]

In 2014 she faced criticism from local residents over a proposal to rebuild a [seawall](/source/Seawall) on her property which would reportedly impede public access to the beach. Swift responded that she sought to repair damage from [coastal erosion](/source/Coastal_erosion), and the area of seawall was on her private beach, which had been used by the public for years before her purchase.[40] Following a lawsuit in April 2017, the [Rhode Island Supreme Court](/source/Rhode_Island_Supreme_Court) upheld a lower-court decision that landowners in Westerly can put up fences to keep strangers off their beach.[41] The attorney general's office and environmental groups argued that the land had been dedicated to the public more than a century ago, but the court disagreed, ruling that the beach is privately owned.[42]

Rhode Island Governor [Gina Raimondo](/source/Gina_Raimondo) proposed a luxury tax on "pricey" second homes within the state worth over $1 million in 2015, which was referred to as the "Taylor Swift tax" in mainstream media. The tax was criticized and was eventually withdrawn.[43] The tax was widely viewed as an obstacle for future tourism in the state, especially since people with second homes spent money without straining infrastructural resources such as school systems. Raimondo defended the proposal as potentially adding $12 million to the state's economy but then withdrew it.[2]

Swift held the "Secret Sessions" at High Watch in 2014 and 2017, hosting listening parties for select [Swifties](/source/Swifties) prior to the release of her albums *[1989](/source/1989_(Taylor_Swift_album))* and *[Reputation](/source/Reputation_(Taylor_Swift_album))*.[44] On April 2, 2019, a stolen car crashed into the estate's gates following a police chase that started in a neighboring town in [Connecticut](/source/Connecticut).[45]

High Watch has "No trespassing" signs.[46] Swift has had several stalking, trespassing, and home invasion incidents at the house since 2013.[47] More than five separate cases have been reported by news outlets,[48][49] with three in 2019 alone.[50][51][52] A female trespasser was arrested in 2023.[46]

Swift's 2020 studio album *[Folklore](/source/Folklore_(Taylor_Swift_album))* features "[The Last Great American Dynasty](/source/The_Last_Great_American_Dynasty)", a song about the house and life of Rebekah Harkness.[53][54] The lyrics detail parallels between Harkness's and Swift's unfavorable press reception at various points due to their personal lives and residence.[55] The song was praised by critics for its lyricism and storytelling,[56] and peaked at number 13 on the U.S. [*Billboard* Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100) chart.[57] In 2022 *[L'Officiel](/source/L'Officiel)* named High Watch as one of the most expensive celebrity homes in the [Americas](/source/Americas).[58] The property was valued at US$20,434,100 as of 2024.[59]

In 2025 Swift began a $1.7 million expansion project on the house, adding a bedroom suite and renovating the kitchen.[60] On May 14, human remains were found near Swift's house and reported to the police, who launched an investigation; this fueled claims of a new serial killer in [New England](/source/New_England), which the Westerly police department denied.[61][62] The Taylor Swift Tax, under the official title "Non-Owner Occupied Property Tax Act", was reintroduced and enacted in the [Rhode Island General Assembly](/source/Rhode_Island_General_Assembly) in July 2025 as part of the state's budget for 2026; *[Yahoo! Finance](/source/Yahoo!_Finance)* reported High Watch's 2025 value at approximately $30 million.[63][64][65]

## See also

- [Public image of Taylor Swift](/source/Public_image_of_Taylor_Swift)

- [Samuel Goldwyn Estate](/source/Samuel_Goldwyn_Estate), another house owned by Swift.

## Footnote

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** The proposal was quickly withdrawn following criticism that claimed such a tax would be detrimental to the state's tourism industry. Nevertheless, the tax was reintroduced and enacted into law by the [Rhode Island General Assembly](/source/Rhode_Island_General_Assembly) in 2025.

## References

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1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_2-3) Tremaine, Julie (July 28, 2020). ["A Brief History of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island Feud"](https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-rhode-island-feud-last-great-american-dynasty.html). *Vulture*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220411022011/https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-rhode-island-feud-last-great-american-dynasty.html) from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.

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1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_17-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_17-1) ["Patrician of the Dance; Rebekah West Harkness"](https://www.nytimes.com/1966/08/26/archives/patrician-of-the-dance-rebekah-west-harkness.html). *The New York Times*. August 26, 1966. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221020204128/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/08/26/archives/patrician-of-the-dance-rebekah-west-harkness.html) from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2020.

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v t e Taylor Swift Albums Singles Songs Videography Live performances Awards and nominations Public image Studio albums Taylor Swift Fearless Speak Now Red 1989 Reputation Lover Folklore Evermore Midnights The Tortured Poets Department The Life of a Showgirl Re-recorded albums Fearless (Taylor's Version) Red (Taylor's Version) Speak Now (Taylor's Version) 1989 (Taylor's Version) Extended plays The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection Beautiful Eyes Live albums Speak Now World Tour – Live Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions Lover (Live from Paris) Concert tours Fearless Tour Speak Now World Tour The Red Tour The 1989 World Tour Reputation Stadium Tour The Eras Tour Films and specials Miss Americana City of Lover Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions All Too Well: The Short Film The Eras Tour The Official Release Party of a Showgirl The End of an Era Legacy Cultural impact Political impact Swifties Impact of the Eras Tour Nannaria swiftae Castianeira swiftay Controversies and incidents Kanye West feud Gaylor conspiracy theory Sexual assault trial Masters dispute Ticketmaster controversy Death of Ana Clara Benevides Deepfake pornography Vienna terror plot It Ends with Us Family Austin Swift (brother) Marjorie Finlay (grandmother) Travis Kelce (fiance, wedding) Olivia Benson (cat) Related Taylor Swift Productions SwiftOnSecurity Tree Paine High Watch Samuel Goldwyn Estate The Eras Tour Book Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [High Watch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Watch) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Watch?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.