In New England, it is not uncommon to wander into the woods and stumble upon the crumbling ruins of an old home or a mysterious stone wall — ghosts of lives lived left behind to be reclaimed by nature. There’s something about these places that have always eerily intrigued me. The deteriorating remains offer a haunting view of where people once lived and sometimes died. In the quiet stillness, I can only imagine the laughter and tears these ruins have seen. I wonder about the tales that they would tell. 

The remains of one of New Hampshire’s most eccentric resident’s “castle” sits concealed by dense woods close to the Vermont border. Each day, numerous visitors pass through to enjoy the recreational opportunities in Madame Sherri’s Forest and explore the ruins left behind by a fascinating woman.

From Antoinette Bramare to Madame Sherri

Antoinette Bramare was born in 1878 in Paris, France. Many of the details about her early life have been lost to time. Although, we know that she was trained as a seamstress and also found work as a dancer and Cabaret singer at some of the trendiest clubs in France. In 1909, she met her husband, Anthony Macaluso — a fugitive and an American expatriate going by the name Andre Reila. So, when they came to the United States in 1911, the couple concocted elaborate cover stories that allowed them to be accepted into New York Society. They opened a hat-making shop and began designing costumes for Broadway productions, including the Ziegfeld Follies. But the past always catches up to you, and by 1912, Andre was arrested, although nothing came of the charges due to a lack of evidence. Once the charges were dropped, he began to pursue his dancing career while Antoniette continued designing costumes.

According to the Chesterfield Historical Society, in 1916, Madame Sherri was born after Antoinette decided she needed a more extravagant name to promote business and adopted the moniker Andre-Sherri, inspired by Otto Hauerbach’s play “Madame Sherry.” It was around this time when Andre’s health began to decline. He was eventually hospitalized and subsequently passed away in October 1924, leaving his widow absolutely shattered. 

The castle in the woods

At one point, Madame Sherri attended a party at the home of Jack Henderson, one of her stage friends, in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. She then began regularly attending his parties and must have fallen in love with the charm of rural New Hampshire because, in 1929, she moved there herself after purchasing nearly 600 acres comprising of farmland and forest in West Chesterfield. 

It was then that Madame Sherri began to build her infamous “castle.” No blueprints were used — in fact, they say she just walked around poking stakes in the ground. The local craftsmen found her to be incredibly difficult. She would often show up to the worksite scantily clad and hang over them and would frequently change the plans. Despite this, they succeeded in giving Madame Sherri precisely what she wanted; a house as extravagant and unique as she was. 

The style was reminiscent of both Roman ruins and a French chalet. The main floor included a large bar and live trees that poked through the roof. Madame Sherri decorated with portraits of famous faces, and animal furs were scattered about. The cellar housed an intimate bistro complete with tables adorned in red cloths. A stone staircase ran up the side of the building that led to Madame Sherri’s bedroom. The house was only used for lavish parties. She actually lived in a cramped and crowded farmhouse across the street. 

Her wild parties were quite a local scandal. Her Broadway friends often attended, and they would extend into the early hours of the morning. A constant parade of beautiful women coming and going from the castle led to rumors that she was running a brothel. Madame Sherri always had to be the center of attention. She always tried to outdo her guests with outlandish outfits and insisted on making a grand entrance at every get-together and even sat in a chair with a large back like a cobra tail that she called “The Queen’s Throne.” 

The downfall of Madame Sherri

Madame Sherri was infamous. She would come into town in luxurious fur coats, and people would speculate that she was naked underneath. She always paid for everything in cash and would pull wads of money out of her bra. This might not have been so scandalous in New York City, but this behavior was especially unusual in New Hampshire. 

By the end of World War II, Madame Sherri had run out of money. Apparently, her friend Charles LeMaire had been subsidizing her lavish lifestyle by sending her checks, but they suddenly stopped, forcing her into poverty. She moved to Quechee, Vermont, and then to Brattleboro, where she relied on her friends for financial and emotional support. In 1959, she returned to her beloved castle only to find vandals had trashed it. Then, in October 1962, the castle went down in flames. 

After the fire

Three years after the castle burned down, on October 20, 1965, the property was sold to Ann Stokes. That same day, Madame Sherri died penniless in a nursing home in Vermont. Ann did her best to preserve the property until she transferred ownership to the New Hampshire Society for the Preservation of Forest in 1998. They maintain it to this day as Madame Sherri Forest. All that’s left of Madame Sherri’s castle is the foundation, chimneys, and the grand staircase that once led to her bedroom on the third floor. Now, people refer to it as the staircase to nowhere or the staircase to heaven. In 2021, one of the remaining arches of the grand staircase collapsed.

Many people tell stories about the woods surrounding Madame Sherri’s castle being haunted. Some visitors report seeing the apparition of the eccentric woman at the top of the staircase. Others claim to hear the sounds of laughter and music emanating from the rubble as if no time has passed at all, and the ruins are alive with Madame Sherri and her lavish parties, but they are just out of reach.

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