Madame Sherri's Castle

While caught up in an Internet wormhole one day I came across a picture of an arched, stone staircase, standing alone in the woods. The stairs led nowhere. In fact, that was the title of the picture ... Stairway to Nowhere. The stones were somewhat deteriorated but the structure looked intact enough to climb. It was right out of a fairy tale, and when I realized it was located right here in New Hampshire I knew at that moment I'd visit those stairs someday.

Madame Antoinette Sherri was a fashion designer from New York, and she built this vacation home in West Chesterfield NH as a place to hold extravagant parties during the roaring 20's. If you believe the rumors, and I most certainly do, there might even have been some brothel activity going on up there. Sherri herself was a risque character known to do things such as drive around town wearing nothing but a fur coat. At some point her fortune withered and she neglected the property, however, and it fell into disrepair and vandalism before burning down in 1963. Left behind are the stone foundation, lower part of the fireplace, and the famous stairway. Madame Sherri died soon after, in 1965.

These remnants sit within the 513 acre Madame Sherri Forest,which was a gift to the Forest Society - caretakers of the site - by Ann Stokes. Out of simple love for the area Stokes purchased the property soon after Madame Sherri's death. From the parking lot you will first pass a man-made pond, then the ruins are a short walk uphill. As usual, Logan was first to spot our destination and sprinted the final distance.

We each took turns climbing the stairs and having our picture taken, then we all went up for this group shot which now hangs in our living room.

The rest of our time was spent exploring the foundation and other remains. This section of stone Madison is standing inside was originally built to wrap around a tree, one of two that lined the entrance.

A section of cellar remains accessible through the back side, and goes all the way through if you don't mind doing a little crawling.

In addition to the ruins there are trails leading up the mountain, but unfortunately we went during early Spring and ice still covered much of the ground. We decided it wasn't worth risking a broken tailbone. And doubly unfortunate, I learned later that a mine shaft exists on the far side of the mountain that you can enter with a little bit of climbing. Had I known that at the time I would have definitely risked my tailbone, but since I didn't it makes for the perfect excuse to revisit the site someday.

If you're anything like me, I don't need to recommend that you make a trip to explore Madame Sherri's Castle. You would have seen the pictures above and already made the decision to go.

Links:
Photo Album
Madame Sherri Forest - Forest Society