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Thursday, October 8, 2020

A Castle in NH Woods?

(Very) former front entry of Castle Sherri
Many people regard their home as a castle, don't they?

And, while the chances of finding the remains of a "castle" in a wooded area in the Southwest corner of NH seems improbable, it's not impossible.

Exactly what we thought so after reading stories and seeing online photos, we set on a 90-minute day trip to an off the main road forest in West Chesterfield, NH, to locate what Madame Antoinette Sherri called her house, Castle Sherri — we succeeded in our quest.
Castle Sherri circa 1930s
As you can readily see, this wooded forest retreat, shown as it originally existed above, wasn't really a castle, but an elegantly proportioned house built by an eccentric NYC costume designer who is said to have entertained with lavish parties in the 1930s. It's most notable feature was (and still is) the stone spiral staircase which ascended to the second floor. This architectural detail remains a lone reminder of the house’s former glory days.

Finding this place was quite an adventure. We wondered how years ago guests ever made the  off-road trek into the forest. Our highway drive was followed by a turn-off then drive on gravel and dirt roads and we passed the forest entry at least once (maybe twice) then saw a sign for “Mme. Sherri Forest” in a small parking area. 

An information kiosk at the end of the parking area, before the start of the trail provided a wealth of information and photos. Many of these photos were from the Chesterfield, NH Historical Society and available on line. They have been included in this post for purposes of telling the very intriguing and interesting story of the who, what, where and when of this place.


After checking out the very informative information kiosk, we crossed a wooden footbridge then headed in the direction of the Madame Sherri Forest. Many years ago, this bridge was most made of stone as evidenced by the remains of a wall and stone posts. After a short walk in the woods, we saw the ruins, which can't be missed.

What's astounding is to see this massive, arched stone stairway that curves upward and ends in mid-air. These remains of what was a grand spiral staircase that ascended to the second floor was the most notable feature of a house designed by its owner, Madame Antoinette Sherri, for comfort and entertainment. Now, it's a deteriorating reminder of the former glory of this place.

Nearly 50 years after Madame Sherri's death, the legend remains. Whether or not the tales of her wild late-night forest parties are true is uncertain, as there's no one alive to verify the tales. Yet, they've provided great story fodder for many years that continues even now.


Who was the Mysterious Madame Antoinette Sherri?

Antonia De Lilas

Madame Sherri was born Antoinette Bramare in 1878 in Paris, and trained as a seamstress. Later she assumed the name of Antonia De Lilas changing her career to become a popular music hall performer. She sang and danced in some of the most well-known clubs in France.

Andre Riela & Madame Antoinette Sherri

In 1909, she met a man calling himself Andre Riela, an American-born conman named Anthony Macaluso, who had fled to Europe to dodge an extortion charge. He found work as an actor and dancer in Paris. They married in Puerto Rico returning to NYC in 1911. Macaluso was a fugitive, so an elaborate ruse was devised that he was the son of a prominent Italian diplomat. The ruse worked, they were accepted into NY society and Macaluso resumed dancing under the name Andre Riela. Antoinette opened a millinery shop on 42nd Street and designed costumes for Broadway productions and theatrical revues.

Madame Sherri and Ziegfeld costume designs

By 1916, Antoinette wanted a new name to promote the business, selecting, House of Sherri after Madame Sherry, a French vaudeville act staged in NYC as a musical show. She and Andre became known as Mr. and Madame Sherri (the names Riela and DeLilas no longer used). The House of Sherri became known for elaborate and ornate costume designs for NYC productions, notably the Ziegfeld Follies. This was during Prohibition when people were going to shows, not bars. In the next eight years, the couple became very successful.

Charles LeMaire


During one of their biggest hits, Frivolities of 1920, Antoinette began what was to become a long-term connection with Charles LeMaire, a Chicago vaudeville pianist and actor who wanted a career in costume design. 


LeMaire moved to NYC in 1921 became Antoinette's protege and soon was working with Flo Ziegfeld. By 1925, his success took him to Hollywood where he was employed first by 20th Century Fox. LeMaire was later credited with convincing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create an Oscar for costume design. In a 37-year career and over 300 films, he earned 3 Academy Awards and 13 nominations. LeMaire later became Antoinette's financial benefactor. (She claimed that she had adopted LeMaire, which was untrue.) Yet, there’s no doubt that LeMaire's early NYC career with Antoinette led to his future Hollywood success.

Andre & Sherri in Puerto Rico after their marriage

In 1924, Andre went blind, then insane and died 3 years later at the age of 27. He was at least a decade or more younger than his wife and his early death devastated Antoinette. She designed costumes for a few years, sometimes with LeMaire before closing her NYC shop in 1930. Later, she spent summers visiting stage friend Jack Henderson and regularly attended his extravagant parties held in Chesterfield, NH, before deciding to leave NYC and permanently relocate to NH.

Castle Sherri as it once stood in West Chesterfield, NH

In 1929, she became a NH resident and by 1930 had purchased 600 acres of West Chesterfield farmland and forest on Gulf Road. By 1931, with LeMaire providing the finances, Sherri started building. She brought in stonecutters from neighboring MA and without blueprints or plans designed the house by walking the lot and putting down stakes. Local contractors reportedly found her hard to work with claiming she would hover and constantly change her mind, but the one-of-a-kind house was eventually completed.

Front entry steps then and now

The uniquely styled and named Castle Sherri resembled a French chateau of NH stone with a chalet roof and a Roman ruin with arches. Vintage photos show that the two and a half story house had a pitched roof, stone on the bottom, clapboard on the top floor and a top floor, surrounded by a wrap-around deck. The main floor had a large bar area between 2 trees that grew through the roof. Portraits adorned the walls. Furnishings included Persian rugs, a polar bear rug, Buddhas, player piano, Italian pottery and brocaded tapestries. Two upstairs bedrooms had mirror-lined bathrooms. The third floor was Sherri’s private quarters accessible only by the stone staircase running alongside the building. The cellar was a bistro/dining grotto with six tables covered with red tablecloths.

The stone arched stairway alongside Castle Sherri
The exterior staircase was hewn from ledge rock with stone flower boxes that once held red and white flowers with three rounded arches facing the front of the house. The main stairs were cut into the rock ledge and led to a massive red front door. 

The theatrically staged house was only used for entertaining; it wasn't her residence. She lived in a small run-down farmhouse elsewhere on the property. Well-dressed NYC male and female socialites and show business friends were reported to attend these summer events. Madame Sherri reigned and held court on The Queen’s Throne, a carved cobra-backed chair. She chain-smoked Fatima-brand cigarettes and proudly boasted of using a single match to light only the first one. She was known for making a grand entrances garbed in sequined gowns with a feather-plumed headdress or makeshift turban. Her costumes included strands of pearls and jewelry, most of which was stage paste.

1927 Packard of Madame Sherri

Madame Sherri's lifestyle became the talk of the area, most of which as farmland back then. According to online stories, she delighted in shocking merchants. Local lore is that she wore a large fur coat, with nothing else on and paid for everything in cash, pulled either from a garter belt strapped to her thigh or her cleavage. After buying a 1927 cream-colored Packard, she had its wheels painted bright red, hiring uniformed young men to chauffeur her around. She said that the car was built on commission for the Prince of Wales. (This wasn't true as the car had been purchased for $3,500 directly from Packard Motors.) 

Madame Sherri’s decline began shortly after WWII ended when LeMaire stopped sending funds that had subsidized her wild lifestyle for so long. Trying to remain afloat, she came up with many schemes, including turning the castle into a nightclub and selling mineral rights to the property. 

None of these worked out and by the late 1940s, Madame Sherri was indigent, relying on neighbors for food, firewood and transport. The Packard sat idle on her property. She spent time in VT before returning to NH in the spring of 1959 to find that the house had been burglarized and trashed and the front door ripped off. Madame Sherri fled from the house and never returned, moving into a nursing home in Brattleboro, VT. 

Three years later, disaster struck Castle Sherri again in late October 1962, when a fire ravaged it reducing it to the stone foundation visible now with collapses since then. In July 1963, Charles LeMaire foreclosed on the property. It later sold to local resident Ann Stokes who finalized a sheriff's sale purchase in October 1965, on the same day Madame Sherri died at age 87. For years, Stokes kept the legend of Castle Sherri and Madame Sherri alive by promoting concerts, performances and parties within the house ruins. In 1992, Stokes donated 488 acres of Madame Sherri Forest to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests which protects it today. There are numrous walking trails and no admission fee to hike or visit the ruins. 

Remains of Castle Sherri now

While the arches remain a favorite destination, the years and New England weather have taken their toll. As seen above, shifting and cracks can be spotted in the arches stone work. There are no handrails or columns on the steps and climbing them is strongly discouraged now. 

Our plans did not include climbing upward. We were just happy to have found and to explore the ruins and amazing staircase. However, I read that for years, visitors would ascend the stairs and claim to have seen the ghost of Madame Sherri. Bebes! who was rumored to exclaim to her arriving guests, Mes cheres! Please enter and enjoy yourselves!

Madame Sherri is buried in meeting House Cemetery, Brattleboro, VT. LeMaire died in 1985 in Palm Springs, CA, at age 86 after enjoying a career that was far more successful than that of his former mentor. The Packard auto sold for $7500 at auction in September 1963. Sherri’s farmhouse residence was later condemned and torn down. 


This was a longish post (as usual) but the subject matter was very interesting. And, if you live in New England or can visit NH some future time, a trip to find Castle Sherri would be well worth some time and effort. Grenville and I agreed the site was one of the more interesting ones we've seen on a day trip. But, it's not the last; this week a friend shared info about another castle site in neighboring MA, and it's on our list for a future day trip.


My apologies to fellow bloggers as I have not kept up with your posts on a daily basis. Some days (more than one), I spend way too much time preparing a post. Also there are other interests which grab my attention span, which is short enough. However, I always try catch up with your recent posts by the weekend. Thanks for your visits and comments on my own posts. All comments are read and are very much appreciated. I know that you have other interests as well.

29 comments:

Ron said...

Gorgeous house (castle)! And I LOVE the stone spiral staircase! You know, you do see craftsmanship like that anymore, do you? That's when they made houses to last. Like you said, "This architectural detail remains a lone reminder of the house’s former glory days."

The surrounding grounds are gorgeous as well.

I love the vintage photographs you shared; particularly the ones showing the costume designs. They're marvelous! And your mention of the Ziegfeld Follies made me remember living in NYC and walking past the Ziegfeld Theater.

Thank you so much for sharing this post, my friend. Thanks for the research, photos, and information. Always a pleasure to read!

Vee said...

Fascinating! Those stairs are spectacular. Who knew that such oddities existed in the forests of NH...

Marcia said...

As I said in our phone call I'd read about this"castle" in Yankee Magazine some time ago. It is a fascinating site. Your post has really brought it to life. We will definitely visit there some day.

mamasmercantile said...

Those stairs are spectacular. Such a fascinating life she led and made quite the extraordinary post. It was a delight to learn so much and come along with you to visit her Castle.

MadSnapper said...

Now that's what I was a trip that I would have loved to been on I would love to see that ruin because the ruin is just as beautiful as the house was in the past what an amazing story and it's too bad that it was ravaged by fire because it would have been gorgeous to redo it and have it available now. What a great trip

Gemma's person said...

Thank you for sharing your trip and this wonderful place and story.

Edna B said...

Wow, wow, wow! How awesome this beautiful castle must have been in its hey day. Such fascinating history too! I really enjoyed this post. Thank you so much for letting us tag along with you. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

David said...

Beatrice, Your story and photos pertaining to Madame Sherri and her castle are exactly the reason that we love driving the backroads of America. There are so many quirky bits of history...some even disturbing...to discover. Nicely done! Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Barbara Rogers said...

How fantastic to see the ruins of that house...and even better that you shared the story of her life as well...complete with many photos that also show the house before its demise, as well as her adventures with such rascally men...well, one of whom rose to greatness in the cinemas and supported her. I can't wait to resume day trips again...and have one scheduled (in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC) next week.

Emma Springfield said...

First of all no apologies are necessary. Real-life is far more important. This was a fascinating post. The house is monumental.

William Kendall said...

I find those arch ruins fascinating.

Rita said...

Yes, this was fascinating! Especially with all the pictures.
Thanks! :)

Joyce F said...

An interesting read. The clothing was almost as fascinating as the castle story.

Margaret D said...

That is an interesting read and photos to go with it.
Enjoyed it and would take ages to prepare that post - well done and thank you.

diane b said...

A very interesting story and photos. M.Sherri certainly was a colourful character.

Jon said...

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-researched, interesting post - especially since I've never heard of Madame Sherri before.
Her forest home is wonderfully unique and located in an intriguing setting. It's unfortunate that it fell into neglect and decay.
And I love that 1927 Packard!

This reminds me of the mansion built by Rose O'Neill (inventor of the Kewpie Doll) - which I saw when I lived in the Missouri Ozarks. It was made of local stone, but was destroyed by a fire. Only the ruins remain.

DUTA said...

I've got a 'soft spot' for ruins of castles, fortresses and the like. There's always some interesting story of historical and or archeological aspect behind them.
In your story , the emphasis is on a story about the personal life of Madame Sherri. Very captivating!

LL Cool Joe said...

What a fascinating story behind the ruined castle. Madame Sherri sounds like a real character. How sad that her husband died so young!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Whenever I have come across old ruins, virtually always in Europe I must say, I immediately look for Barn Owls who might have taken up residence there! To each his own, I suppose. I remember too exploring in a ghost town in Arizona, hunting for tarantulas and rattlesnakes. It was very productive but it was wise to watch where you put your feet! I was able to see and identify several species for the first time, however, so I was a happy naturalist!

My name is Erika. said...

This is a really fascinating story. I am not all that familiar with that area of the state and hadn't heard this story or known of its location. Wow. It looks like a fun day out with a good tale to explain it. I have been (many years ago) to a castle style building in Rindge, NH though. It is private property so no visiting unless you get invited or rent it (I was invited by a long lost friend), but I bet the backstory to it is nowhere near as interesting as this one in West Chesterfield. Enjoy the long weekend and the nice weather we are supposed to have the next couple of days. Hugs-Erika

Jeanie said...

What a terrific post, Dorothy. I read every word and was fascinated. I'd not heard of Antoinette Sherri and I wonder why? I should have learned about her in my costume design courses! Or maybe I did and I have forgotten. The ruins are so very intriguing and so, too, is her life. That area looks beautiful to explore but 'm especially glad you took the time to do the research and find such remarkable photos of her, the costumes and more.

Carola Bartz said...

What an interesting post! I was quite intrigued by it - the ruins as well as the life story of this woman. The house reminds me of the ruins of Wolf House that Jack London built and burnt down before it was finished. Maybe I should write a post about that.

Bill said...

What a wonderful find. I never heard of this before and I lived in NH. :) Thanks for sharing the photos and story, I enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day and weekend.

Polly said...

What a wonderful piece of history Beatrice. It must have been a glorious house in its heyday, but what a shame she didn't live in it. I haven't been very good at visiting my favourite blogs either, much for the same reason as yourself, and dolls house work and I've started a quilt for my youngest daughter.

Kim Young said...

wow it's truly wonderful! Beautiful ruins with lovely story story behind it! thank you for sharing

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I *loved* this fascinating story! You told it beautifully! And I would be so happy to have Castle remains and Forest Sherri as a hiking destination! Bill would too, we both enjoy eccentric people (living or dead) and learning odd bits of history, and we have searched for “castles” when we were RV traveling (there is, or were, actually websites telling where such American “castles” could be found...) Even though Castle Sherri is in ruins, the story and the magnificent stonework definitely qualify as finding a castle! Super fun post, thank you!

Rain said...

Firstly I always love your selfies! Great photos! What a beautiful place to visit and that stairway is spectacular! I may have posted my comment twice Dorothy so feel free to delete one lol! :)

Rob K said...

My goodness, what a fabulous post! And what a fascinating story!

I'm so glad you wrote this up because my aunt has a farmhouse in the Berkshires and some day, when we shake the shackles of Covid-19, I intend to go back and I'll be sure to stop by Castle Sherri.

And I love that Packard!

baili said...

along with your magical story telling i was lost in the era where madam Sherri lived so luxuriously in her palace may be sometimes she lived in that astonishingly built palace otherwise somewhere else as you mentioned in post dear Dorothy
it is SPLENDID post and i LOVED knowing about passionate lady and her life and lifestyle
i wonder why she did not prefer to live in her dream castle though ?

you are amazingly narrate your stories my friend and they hold min for long:)

it was sad to learn about her decline but it is fact that there is fall behind each rise no matter what because "new" has to replace "old" eventually
thank you for wonderful read it was "perfect" as always !
more blessings!