Here, we … Well, as it turns out, long before Swift began throwing lavish, star studded (and, some neighbors might say, raucous) fourth of July bashes at her $17 million estate in Watch Hill, the property had already earned the nickname of “Holiday House” thanks to its former owner: Rebekah Harkness. Yes, this is the house she sings about in "The Last Great American Dynasty! These continued after her husband's death, with guests including Andy Warhol, J.D. A seventeen-year-old standing on a porch, learning to apologize. Oh, I learned about her as soon as I was being walked through [her former Rhode Island] home. After their seven-year marriage (William died in 1954, from a heart attack), Harkness inherited Holiday House in Watch Hill, R.I. (above). She first found out about Harkness through “the real estate agent who was walking us through the property,” according to her Entertainment Weekly interview. "The Last Great American Dynasty" tells the story of Rebekah Harkness, the socialite who used to live in Swift's Rhode Island mansion. Harkness inherited her late husband's Watch Hill, Rhode Island, manse, which was known by friends, family, and distinguished celebrity guests—think Howard Hughes and Salvador Dalí—as the Holiday House. In The Last Great American Dynasty, Swift not only describes all of these antics, but also draws comparisons between herself and her home's former owner, singing, 'Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / And then it was bought by me.'. ", Swift highlights many of Harkness's quirks and her larger-than-life persona—filling up her swimming pool with Dom Perignon and painting an angry neighbor's dog green (it was actually a cat)—and she's not the only one to become fascinated by Harkness. Taylor Swift bought Holiday House for US$17 million in 2013. Rebekah Harkness spent much of the Standard Oil fortune she inherited on the ballet. The woman who owned Holiday House for more than 30 years, from the 1950s until her death in 1982, was famous for her glamorous parties that brought in … Like Harkness, her arrival caused a stir. William Harkness bought Holiday House in 1948, a year after their marriage. Holiday House was owned by Rebekah Harkness, an eccentric patron of the arts and founder of the Harkness Ballet. The woman who owned Holiday House for more than 30 years, from the 1950s until her death in 1982, was famous for her glamorous parties that brought in the likes of Salvador Dalí. Holiday House, part of which was torn down in the 1970s because it was so big, had 40 rooms and 21 bathrooms in Rebekah Harkness' day. Together, the pair resided in Rhode Island, in a home called "Holiday House" that Swift now owns. It’s based on a story about Rebekah West Pierce Harkness, known as Betty to her friends. The Harkness couple purchased a waterfront mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which the two nicknamed the "Holiday House." Rarely does singer and songstress Taylor Swift write songs about someone outside her immediate circle. They nicknamed the property as their "Holiday House." In 1962 she turned her Rhode Island estate, Holiday House, into a summer dance camp for the entire Joffrey […] The song gives an overview of the life story of American socialite Rebekah Harkness, who was the previous owner of Swift’s Watch Hill, Rhode Island home.But while the famous “Holiday House” may have been in part the connection that drew Swift to write about Harkness, “[Harkness’s] saltbox house on the coast” is not where her story begins. The Harknesses shared a HUGE Watch Hill, Rhode Island mansion, called the Holiday House, that featured eight kitchens and 21 baths. Rebekah West Harkness (April 17, 1915 – June 17, 1982) also known as Betty Harkness, was an American composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist who founded the Harkness Ballet. Swift bought Harkness’s Rhode Island “Holiday House” in 2013. Swift explains it briefly in a verse—Harkness once owned Holiday House, the singer’s current Watch Hill, Rhode Island, home. Together, the pair resided in Rhode Island, in a home called "Holiday House" that Swift now owns. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. It’s got … a lengthy semi-nonfictional track about Rebekah Harkness, a St. Louis–born debutante who married the heir to Standard Oil, bought a giant house in Rhode Island, lived a … Harkness was indeed a divorcée who married William Hale Harkness, whose family founded the Standard Oil company. Every item on this page was carefully chosen by a Veranda editor. The Harkness's Rhode Island home, Holiday House, became a hub for the social set in the town, as the couple threw raucous parties most weekends. Lovestruck kids wandering up and down the evergreen High Line. Rebekah West Harkness (April 17, 1915 – June 17, 1982) also known as Betty Harkness, was an American composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist who founded the Harkness Ballet.Her marriage to William Hale "Bill" Harkness, an attorney and heir to the Standard Oil fortune of William L. Harkness, made her one of the wealthiest women in America. Learn the story of Rebekah Harkness, the subject of Taylor Swift's song "The Last Great American Dynasty," who once owned her home in Rhode Island. Rebekah married William Hale Harkness, the heir to the Standard Oil fortune. When asked how often she entertains friends with the history of Rebekah Harkness and Holiday House while spending time there, Swift revealed, “Anyone who's been there before knows that I do 'The Tour,' in quotes, where I show everyone through the house. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. 50 Fabulous Drinks Tables for Any Occasion, 40 Museums You Need to Visit in Your Lifetime, 30 Radiant Paint Colors for Your Dining Room, 13 Black-Owned Home Brands To Support Now. Everything you need to know about Rebekah West Harkness, the former owner of Taylor Swift's Watch Hill, Rhode Island, manse. Her second husband died nine years later, leaving her a $27 million fortune (worth more than $250 million today), which she reportedly squandered with amazing speed. Also known as Betty Harkness, the … The couple was married just seven years before William passed away of a heart attack, leaving the Harkness fortune and Holiday House to Rebekah. The 11,000-square-foot mansion boasts seven bedrooms and nine baths. https://www.popsugar.com/home/taylor-swift-rhode-island-home-history-47648844 ", "Fifty years is a long time / Holiday House sat quietly on the beach free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / And then it was bought by me," Swift sings in "The Last Great American Dynasty.". Swift also shared that every single room of Holiday House “has a different anecdote about Rebekah Harkness.” Clearly, Swift is fascinated with the home's former owner, and we certainly can’t blame her—who else steals their neighbor’s cat (changed to "dog" in the song, given Swift's love for cats) and dyes its fur key lime green? The newlywed couple purchased the 40-room mansion in 1947 and called it ‘Holiday House’ where Rebekah entertained Salvador Dalí, her personal yogi B.K.S. Of course, some of Swift's friends know all too well about her home tours, given how often they must visit (see: her very Instagrammed Fourth of July parties at the house over the years). Here's where Swift gets linked into the story. Folklore, Taylor Swift's latest album, is officially out, which means it's time to close-read the lyrics and find the hidden meaning. And why would she write a song about her? It was also, infuriatingly to the neighbors, a place for the Harkness Ballet dancers to practice on the lawn. Born Rebekah West in St. Louis, Harkness spent her childhood summers in Watch Hill. Holiday House is the name of Swift’s Watch Hill mansion. While Swift’s Fourth of July soirees at the Holiday House have become the stuff of Instagram legend, they’re clearly nothing compared to what the previous lady of the house got up to. Inspired by the house's history and its former owner, Rebekah Harkness, Swift released a song titled "The Last Great American Dynasty" from her eighth studio album Folklore (2020). [11], La villa "Holiday House" di Harkness a Watch Hill, Rhode Island, è stata acquisita nel 2013 dalla cantante Taylor Swift. An exiled man walking the bluffs of land that isn't his own, wondering how it all went so terribly, terribly wrong. After Rebekah Harkness died in 1982, ... “Fifty years is a long time/Holiday House sat quietly on that beach,” she adds. Married just seven years, Harkness inherited her husband’s vast … In her recent Disney+ film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Swift shared that she had been wanting to write a song about Harkness since 2013, the year she purchased the Watch Hill, Rhode Island house. Practice than at her summer home in Rhode Island ] home throughout her lifetime Ballet company, died cancer. One of Taylor Swift bought her `` Holiday House '' in Watch,. 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