Meet the Innkeeper

Shirley Payne was destined to be an innkeeper. She says, “When you have lived a long life, you can have the opportunity to explore many experiences”. Shirley has worked in so many different areas that have all enhanced her life and directed her towards inn keeping. Her art background includes interior decorating, painting abstracts and landscapes and dress designing. She loves creating theme rooms, interesting flower gardens and turning each of the 15 buildings into fun and utile venues. An example of the building usage is the pack house barn that is a fitness center with red carpet, crystal chandeliers and faux stained glass windows.

A respect for spiritual awareness can be observed throughout the 5 acres of the farm. One can find their own peaceful path with various opportunities. The Feng Shui pattern is used in the landscaping. From the street people ask about the Gullah Tree in the metallic spiritual area or the tipsy pots in the Fantasy Garden. People come to the farm just to visit the Labyrinth in the meditation area or to follow the path in the woods to the Yoga platform in the health and family area. The colors of the blooms, the shapes and mineral of the features all follow the specific energy designed for that section.

Born in a small town of 100 people in South Dakota, the family moved to Shenandoah, Iowa while Shirley was still a child. During college years she spent many summers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Florida to work in food service and as a chambermaid. Experience in several levels of food preparation and service have served her well. After selling real estate in Ft Lauderdale for 38 years, Shirley was looking for a less stressful lifestyle. The tobacco farm came up on her internet searches and she fell in love with the 100 feet of wrap around porch. Marketing and bookkeeping and financial planning gained during those years was vital to her new business.

When Shirley purchased the house, the log buildings in the back looked interesting but she had no idea that they would become so important to the overall picture and income of the property. The Lamplight Inn, a country Bed and Breakfast was opened in September 2002 and in 2003 she opened Tobacco Farm Camp on the rear of the farm. The camp ground has 2 cabins, that were once tobacco curing barns, and 4 RV sites. Travelers, hunters, fishermen, all love the quiet atmosphere and space for trucks, boats, etc on the farm. The most interesting building is one of the curing barns that has been transformed into a mini-museum demonstrating how tobacco was cured back in the wood firing days.

When you visit Lamplight Inn, a Country Bed and Breakfast and Tobacco Farm Camp, you will find a gracious host who loves to share the history of this place and the area. Shirley will cook a good, full breakfast subject to any diet restrictions and handle your requests or needs. Be sure to ask for a walking tour of all the buildings, the original family cemetery, the springs in the woods and the huge pond.