High Watch
Historic Rhode Island mansion owned by Taylor Swift since 2013.
JJBers · via Wikipedia: High Watch · CC BY 2.0
High Watch, originally named Holiday House, is an 11,000-square-foot Colonial-style mansion in Watch Hill, Westerly, Rhode Island. It is the most expensive private home in the state and has been owned by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift since 2013. The estate sits on a 5-acre seafront property atop a hillock used as a lookout during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution.
- Location
- Watch Hill, Westerly, Rhode Island, United States
- Size
- 11,000 square feet (1,000 m²) on 5 acres
- Built
- 1929–1930
- Original name
- Holiday House
- Current owner
- Taylor Swift (since 2013)
- Known for
- Most expensive private home in Rhode Island; venue for Swift's annual Independence Day parties
Lore & Background
The house was built in 1929–1930 for the Snowden family, owners of an oil company, who named it Holiday House. It was inherited in 1954 by Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness, who became notorious among locals for her lavish lifestyle, including cleaning her pool with champagne and hosting gamblers like Salvador Dalí. In 1974, businessman Gurdon B. Wattles purchased and renovated the house, renaming it High Watch due to its location.
Taylor Swift purchased High Watch for $17,750,000 in 2013. The property has since drawn media attention for her annual Independence Day parties, attended by celebrities, and for several stalking, trespassing, and home invasion incidents. In 2017, Swift was sued by neighbors over building a seawall; the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled in her favor, affirming the beach was privately owned.
Reader's Guide
High Watch stands as a symbol of both Gilded Age wealth and modern celebrity culture. Originally built for the Snowden oil family, its history includes the controversial Rebekah Harkness, whose eccentricities inspired Swift's 2020 song 'The Last Great American Dynasty.' Swift's ownership has brought renewed scrutiny to the property, including a 2015 proposal by Rhode Island's governor for a luxury tax on expensive secondary homes, nicknamed the 'Taylor Swift Tax.' The mansion's legal battles over beach access highlight ongoing tensions between private property rights and public shoreline use. Its annual Fourth of July parties have become a cultural touchstone, drawing both celebration and local complaints about paparazzi. The estate's location on a historic lookout point connects it to colonial military history, while its architectural design—with eight bedrooms, a 45-foot sun room, and an octagon dining room—reflects early 20th-century coastal luxury.
Did You Know?
- The house was originally named Holiday House and was built for the Snowden family, owners of an oil company.
- Rebekah Harkness, who inherited the house in 1954, was known for cleaning her pool with champagne and gambling with Salvador Dalí.
- Taylor Swift wrote the song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' in 2020, inspired by the house's history and Harkness.
- In 2017, Swift won a lawsuit allowing her to build a seawall on the private beach, despite claims the beach had been dedicated to the public.
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