singer-songwriter Taylor Swift purchased High Watch, for US$17.75 million. From 2013 to 2017, Swift received widespread press coverage for hosting American Independence Day parties on the estate, featuring numerous celebrity guests and lavish decorations often depicted on Instagram. Cosmpolitan compared the parties to "legendary parties in the history of United States", such as the Met Gala and the Vanity Fair Oscars party, and called it one of the most exclusive invites in the US. Her 2016 party received much attention as her then-boyfriend, actor Tom Hiddleston, was seen wearing an "I (Heart) T.S" shirt. The parties attracted controversy from local Watch Hill residents, who complained about the influx of paparazzi into Watch Hill and the unsolicited attention Swift brings to the community. Other attendees included Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, Ingrid Michaelson, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, the Haim sisters, Serayah, Calvin Harris, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Ruby Rose, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, St. Vincent, Rachel Platten, Uzo Aduba, Ed Sheeran, and Halston Sage. In 2014, she again faced criticism from the residents over a proposal to rebuild a seawall on her property, which would reportedly impede public access to the beach. Swift responded that she sought to repair damage from coastal erosion, and the area of seawall was on her private beach, which had been used by the public for years prior to her purchase. Following a lawsuit, in April 2017, the Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld a lower-court decision that landowners in Westerly can put up fences to keep strangers off their beach. 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. In 2015, inspired by High Watch, then-Governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo, proposed a luxury tax on "pricey" second homes within the state worth over $1 million, which was referred to as the "Taylor Swift tax" in mainstream media. The tax was criticized and was eventually withdrawn. 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 like school systems. Raimondo defended the proposal as potentially adding $12 million to the state’s economy, but then withdrew it. Swift held "secret sessions" at High Watch in 2014 and 2017, hosting listening parties for groups of