As a sad footnote to the story of Rebekah Harkness is the tragedy of her three children. Rebekah Harkness was born in 1915 to a rich, emotionally frigid St. Louis family. So how did she become Swift's muse? The couple was married just seven years before William passed away of a heart attack, leaving the Harkness fortune and Holiday House to Rebekah. It was also around this time that stories of her growing eccentricity and disorderly antics fueled rumors of the widow’s madness. The character named Bill is in reference to Rebekah Harkness’s second husband, William Hale Harkness, who was in fact the heir to Standard Oil. After two decades on that beach I had grown accustomed to the sight of the Harkness House and its silent watch over East Beach. My little folk-loving heart was prepared to embrace what promised to be the most unique Swift record to date. In Taylor Swift's song, "The Last Great American Dynasty," she sings that the wedding "was charming, if a little gauche. Indeed, the latter designed the $250,000 urn that her ashes were stored in after her death from cancer aged 67 in 1982. At Fermata, Rebekah wrote in her diary that she wanted to ''do everything bad". Dalí ever placed card game bets together, however their friendship did go as far as him designing her $250k urn (it spun upon its base, as to allow her to dance forever). Allen Pierce, was convicted of murder after shooting a man in a brawl, her daughter Terry's child was born with brain damage and died at the age of ten and her other daughter Edith died of suicide, following numerous stays at mental health institutions. In 1939, at the age of 24, Rebekah married her first husband Charles Dickson Pierce. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Clearly, Rebekah's parents wanted to make sure the nanny was tough enough for the job. Holiday House was quickly transformed into an artist’s colony, with her dancers rehearsing on the property at all hours of the night. The couple had two children, Allen and Terry, but the marriage ended in divorce. Bill was 15 years older than Rebekah and the marriage was said to be a happy one. The widow went on to marry twice more, for a total of four marriages throughout her lifetime. She purchased the local firehouse to convert into an Art Center to house her sculptor pursuits, as well as several other luxury homes across the world. It was also the start of the most impactful period of Rebekah’s life, now having the freedom and resources to indulge in the creative passions her husband discouraged. At the time, she claimed to have married him because she had "nothing else to do". Rebekah attended a South Carolina finishing school that was famous for having the offspring of rich families such as the Roosevelts, Biddles and Auchinclosses. Rebecca Cope. But Rebekah's story is intricately more complex that the one set out in Swift's lyrics. As Swift writes, "Who knows, if I never showed up, what could've been. The two women have something in common – Swift now lives in what was once Rebekah's home, "Holiday House" in Rhode Island. , fans were left wondering about the subject of her song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' - Rebekah Harkness. Rebekah and Bill had one child; a daughter named Edith. While critics praised the album and fans decoded lyrical Easter eggs, curiosity spiked surrounding one track that NME asserts to be “a contender for the best Taylor Swift song ever written”. (The New York Post via Getty Imag), Taylor Swift to victims of sexual harassment: 'My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard', Taylor Swift has finally been paid the $1 she won in sexual assault lawsuit, Taylor Swift's adorable engagement party appearance, Celebrity deaths 2020: Stars who died this year, Midnight Oil bassist Bones Hillman dies, age 62. (Getty). That married only lasted four years. She formed her own ballet company, Harkness Ballet, which is perhaps her most well-known legacy. It comes with a replica Oval Office that has been rigorously restored, By This site uses cookies to improve your experience and deliver personalised advertising. She was known for her rebellious streak throughout her life - as Swift's lyrics allude to - and even formed a sub-culture group of debutantes called the 'Bitch Pack' who enjoyed disrupting social events, including lacing punch with mineral oil, or performing a strip tease at a dinner. , the album was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, and included a Bon Iver feature. Print + Digital Flew in all her Bitch Pack friends from the city ', Set to go under the hammer next month at Christie's this 'timeless' piece travelled with the future 2nd Duchess of Westminster from country seat to London base, By All rights reserved. She'd inherited Bill's enormous fortune and, without Bill or her father (who had died just the year before) to keep an eye on her, friends feared she'd land herself in trouble. As well as the fascinating facts that have become myth - such as Harkness filling a pool with Dom Perignon, dying a cat green (a dog in Swift's song), and being kicked off a cruise for swimming nude - her 1988 biography, Blue Blood, written by Vanity Fair and New York Magazine editor Craig Unger, reveals a far more tragic story, including the fact that her childhood nanny was chosen specifically because she had worked in a mental asylum. As Swift's lyrics explain, 'Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train, it was sunny / Her saltbox house on the coast took her mind off St. Louis / Bill was the heir to the Standard Oil name and money / And the town said / “How did a middle-class divorcée do it?” / The wedding was charming, if a little gauche / There’s only so far new money goes / They picked out a home and called it “Holiday House” / Their parties were tasteful, if a little loud / The doctor had told him to settle down / It must have been her fault his heart gave out.'. It’s unconfirmed that Harkness and Dalí ever placed card game bets together, however their friendship did go as far as him designing her $250k urn (it spun upon its base, as to allow her to dance forever). She also founded Harkness Ballet and built a ballet studio, trying to create her own version of the luxurious European ballet schools, with a marble staircase and a crystal chandeliers. TRIAL OFFER: 3 Issues for £1. There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images) (Getty), "There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen. The line about the pool was likely in parallelism to her celebrity pool parties, and while I don’t imagine Swift utilizes the same wasteful practices, it’s entirely true that Harkness used to clean the same pool with champagne (actually, it was Dom Pérignon). ", Rebekah Harkness reading music on January 28, 1969. According to Unger, Rebekah's wild side didn't diminish with age. The character named Bill is in reference to Rebekah Harkness’s second husband, William Hale Harkness, who was in fact the heir to Standard Oil. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. While critics praised the album and fans decoded lyrical Easter eggs, curiosity spiked surrounding one track that NME asserts to be “a contender for the best Taylor Swift song ever written”. The couple had a private ceremony attended by Rebekah's parents, her children Allen and Terry, along with William's daughter with his ex-wife Elizabeth. It’s unconfirmed that Harkness and. It seems fair that the life of Rebekah Harkness is now celebrated through Swift's song and that a new generation can sing along and know her name. Welcome to Tatler. The story of the track “the last great american dynasty” follows a socialite from St. Louis named Rebekah, outlining several of her most famous escapades taking place at her “Holiday House” before bringing the tale full-circle with the line, “Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / And then it was bought by me”. On her surprise indie-folk album folklore, Taylor Swift unveils the tragically beautiful tale of one of the wealthiest women in America of her time, who also happened to be the previous owner of Swift’s Rhode Island home. You can opt out at any time or find out more by reading our cookie policy. These continued after her husband's death, with guests including Andy Warhol, J.D. The song ends, 'Who knows, if I never showed up, what could’ve been / There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvellous time ruining everything / I had a marvellous time ruining everything / A marvellous time ruining everything / A marvellous time / I had a marvellous time. The Last Great American Dynasty: The Untold Story of Rebekah Harkness. She was also a very colourful woman with a tendency to self-destruct. But even still, I always saw that town as my own hidden gem on the east coast. For Harkness, it was a group of debutante friends from St. Louis infamous for their pranks and crude displays of behavior. Filled the pool with champagne and swam with the big names Rebekah West was born in 1915 in St Louis, Missouri. And the town said, ‘How did a middle-class divorcee do it’ This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. When Taylor Swift released her latest album Folklore, fans were left wondering about the subject of her song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' - Rebekah Harkness. Property News: How to transform your home without renovating - domain.com.au. “Rebekah gave up on the Rhode Island set forever Rebekah died in June 1982 after a battle with cancer, her ashes placed in an urn designed by Salvador Dalí. 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. Then, in 1974 she married a physician, Niels H. Lauersen who was 20 years her junior. Born in 1915 in St Louis, Missouri, Harkness was the second daughter of prominent stockbroker Allen Tarwater and his wife, also named Rebekah. They picked out a home and called it “Holiday House’”. The wedding was charming, if a little gauche Rebekah had full custody of the children and remained living in Manhattan, working in advertising and studying music composition. At one party Rebekah filled the swimming pool with Dom Perignon, and it was also said she was once allegedly kicked off a cruise ship for swimming naked.
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