MYSTERY: A Staircase to Nowhere in Madame Sherri’s Forest, NH?

There are indeed strange and wonderful things out there to discover. Thanks for this one New Hampshire Nana. All of the original sites I used for this story are now gone (2021). But here is our remnant for you enjoyment and some new information and links I found.

Art MacKay

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Sunday, Jan 2016

Up in the woods of New Hampshire’s town of Chesterfield, there is a staircase in the middle of the woods that looks like it could have come out of a fairy tale.  This staircase is located in what is known as Madame Sherri’s Forest.  The forest abuts the Wantastiquet Mountain Natural Area, and is about a 5-10 minute drive from Brattleboro, Vermont.  So why is this staircase ruin in the middle of the woods?

Madame Antoinette Sherri was a Paris-born theatrical costume designer who worked in New York City in the early 1900s.  Her husband and her found the charming town of Chesterfield, New Hampshire and decided to build a French-inspired chateau summer house that included extensive stonework including a roman arch stairway, ornate interior, and designed landscape gardens.  They entertained many of their friends in this summer home during the roaring 20’s. (original post ends here)

(From http://madamesherri.com/) -Madame Sherri, with her husband, Andre, were involved in show business in New York City from about 1912 to 1924 (when Andre died). They were dancers early on, but Andre mostly turned his attention to producing musical shows, and Madame Sherri (whose first name was Antoinette), became a costume designer. Their company was called Andre Sherri, Inc.

After the death of her husband, Madame Sherri purchased property in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, and had an unusual, castle-like home built there. She was known to drive around the area in a Packard automobile, which thrilled (or annoyed) local residents.

As her health declined and her money gave out, she was relocated to nearby Brattleboro, Vermont, where she died without the fanfare she had enjoyed during her Broadway career.

Her treasured “Castle” was destroyed by fire, and today the barren remains stand in a wooded area. The area surrounding her home has been made a recreational area, known as Madame Sherri Forest.