About the Property
CAUTION: The top portion of the stone staircase collapsed in July 2021 and the area has been roped off due to safety concerns. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB OR WALK ON THE RUINS.
Once owned by the eccentric actress and socialite Antoinette “Madame Sherri” Bramare, this 513-acre property now draws visitors to marvel at the ruins of her summer castle-style home. The site of the ruins, including the iconic decaying stone staircase, is only a short walk from the Gulf Road trailhead. A hike beyond the landmark on the Ann Stokes Loop leads to scenic Indian Pond. To extend your outing, continue west from the pond on the Mine Ledge Trail up the eastern slope of Wantastiquet Mountain (1,388’), where you’ll be rewarded with excellent views of the Connecticut River Valley from just below the summit.
Visitor Use Guidelines
Please see our Visitor Use Guidelines page for a complete list of rules and regulations for Forest Society reservations.
Try an Outing on the Forest Society's Mobile App, Powered by OuterSpatial
Visitors to Forest Society reservations can now access information about land and trails easily from their mobile devices. Using the OuterSpatial platform, the Forest Society's mobile application is free and available for both iPhone and Android devices. Follow the app as cultural and natural sites virtually pop-up along the trail:
Property Details
The Madame Sherri Forest is named after a former owner, Madame Antoinette Sherri, a Paris-born theatrical costume designer who worked in New York City during the early 1900s. in 1930, Sherri built a French-inspired chateau summer house in Chesterfield that featured extensive stonework including a roman arch stairway, ornate interior, and designed landscape gardens. They lavishly entertained their New York City friends and Madame Sherri became famous – or infamous – for her storied parties and glamorous behavior. Her chauffeur-driven Packard, elegant fur coat, and her fast crowd of friends made the townsfolk talk whenever she appeared. Eventually, however, Madame Sherri’s fortunes declined and her castle fell to ruin and suffered from vandalism. After a long separation, she returned to the house in 1959 to find the interior badly vandalized. She left, heartbroken, never to return again. The house burned down completely in 1963.
Today, mature sugar maples surround the stone foundation and stairway, and a large empty fireplace tapers to a freestanding chimney. This is all that remains of the former summer home of Madame Sherri who died in Brattleboro on October 21, 1965.
Circumstances of Acquisition:
Anne Stokes, a local artist who loved this property and its theatrical legacy, purchased it shortly after Madame Sherri passed away in 1965. Over the next several years, she hosted several concerts and parties, using the remaining home foundation and stairway as a stage for elaborate sound and lighting displays. She decided to permanently protect the land in 1976, when she donated a conservation easement on 488 acres to the Forest Society. Anne Stokes generously donated the full ownership of Madame Sherri Forest to the Forest Society in February of 1991 and the original conservation easement was transferred to the Nature Conservancy. In 2005 Anne donated an additional 25.5 acres to the Forest Society which includes the remains of the castle, the parking lot, and the primary trailhead. Through the generosity of Anne Stokes, the unique community of plants and animals that live at the Madame Sherri Forest will be protected forever, along with the rich and colorful history of Madame Sherri.
Trail Information
Anne Stokes Loop Trail
None
From the Madame Sherri Forest parking area, follow the hiking trail across a small bridge. In approximately 0.25 miles, the trail forks. Bear right at the fork and continue for another 0.4 miles on the Anne Stokes Loop Trail to the junction with the Wantastiquet Mountain Trail (heading off to the right). Continue straight on the Anne Stokes Loop Trail, passing scenic Indian Pond is on the right. The pond is framed to the west by the open ledges and talus slopes of Mine Ledge on Wantastiquet Mountain. To complete the loop, continue southeast from Indian Pond up a small hill with fine views, then downhill through a hemlock forest through Chesterfield’s Cook Town Forest. At the junction with the Daniels Mountain Loop Trail, the Anne Stokes Loop Trail curves left to the northwest, leading back to the parking area.
Wantastiquet Mountain
None
From the Madame Sherri Forest parking area, follow the hiking trail across a small bridge. In approximately 0.25 miles, the trail forks. Bear right at the fork and continue for another 0.4 miles on the Anne Stokes Loop Trail to the junction with the Wantastiquet Mountain Trail. Turn right at the trail junction, heading west toward Wantastiquet Mountain. The summit is approximately 0.8 miles from the junction with the Anne Stokes Loop Trail and affords excellent views of the Connecticut River valley, Mount Monadnock, and the distant Berkshire Mountains. Retrace your steps to return to the Madame Sherri Forest parking area.
Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail
Various
The 50 mile Wantastiquet-Monadnock Hiking Trail (WMT) can now be hiked over its whole length from Brattleboro to Mt. Monadnock. Download maps of the trail and five section hikes.
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