* This photo was featured on NH Photo Tour: nh-photo.blogspot.com/ - Thanks Tim! * Here I am at this beautiful stone staircase in the woods of New Hampshire in a park called Madame Sherri's Forest. Beginning in the late 1920's, Madame Antoinette Sherri summered in Chesterfield, New Hampshire for thirty years. Her lifestyle was unlike anything the local residents of Brattleboro had seen before, and she soon became and exotic and mysterious figure in the region. Madame Sherri first came to Chesterfield during the prohibition era to visit her friend Jack Henderson, a Broadway actor who summered and partied in the region. Andre passed away in 1924, however Madame Sherri had become quite fond of Chesterfield. Soon after she bought a farm on the Gulf Road with the intent of building a summer home. Sherri's entourage of beautiful young girls caught the attention of many of the gentleman in the region. Unsubstantiated rumors suggest that the castle actually served as a brothel. Her 1927 cream-colored Packard touring car and endless supply of money fascinated the local residents. It didn't take long for her foreign accent, extravagant dress, and stone castle to become the things of legend. In 1962 the castle was destroyed by fire and now all that remains are the foundation, a fireplace, and a great stone staircase (seen here). Madame Antoinett Sherri passed away at the Maple Rest Nursing Home in Brattleboro in October of 1965. Ironically the sale of her land and castle were completed on the day of her death, causing some to speculate that she left this life in order to spend eternity guarding her castle as a spirit. Reports of strange happenings have long been reported by those who frequent the ruins. Some say that if you touch the staircase you can hear waltz music playing from within the castle. The ruins of Madame Sherri's castle sit amidst the 488 acres of the Madame Sherri Forest in West Chesterfield, New Hampshire. This land was donated to the Society for the Preservation for New Hampshire Forests by Anne Stokes. It's an amazing spot! A photographers dream. I will be going back.
