The Payne-Corley House has been a part of Duluth history since 1873. In 1904, the house was purchased by Joseph L. Moor. His daughter Emma married local merchant and next-door neighbor, Lee Payne, and they had three girls. Emma died as a result of the Flu epidemic in 1917. After Emma's death, Lee moved into the Payne-Corley House where Emma's sister, Elizabeth, and mother Sara could help him care for the children. Lee later married Elizabeth and they raised the three girls together in the house.

In 1938, Frances Payne, the youngest daughter of Lee and Emma Payne, took over the estate where she lived with her husband Minor Corley. After Frances' death in 1981, Mr. Corley married a childhood friend, Winnie Guthrie Cain. She lived in the house with Mr. Corley until his death, and occupied the house until June of 1998.

In 1998, a group of five ladies, life-long friends and Duluth residents formed DreamKeepers, Inc. and purchased the Payne-Corley House, transforming it into a magical destination for weddings and special events. The ladies personally managed the facility until October 2004 when they hired a professional hospitality management company, Sage House Group, Inc., to oversee operation of the Payne-Corley House.