MERRILL – Just off Hwy. 107 north of Merrill, near the tranquil flow of the Wisconsin River, Newwood Park, and the Merrill School Forest is a hidden getaway – a peaceful Northwoods haven of hospitality called Friedenswald.
Friedenswald, a German word that means “peace forest,” is a unique lodging venue that offers a lot more than just comfortable beds for a good night’s sleep, although it offers that, as well.
“We believe everyone needs a place to rest, reconnect, and breathe deep,” owners Laura and Bob Kulp said on the property’s Facebook page. “It’s a joy to welcome guests and see them leave refreshed, inspired and more connected to what matters most – God.”
A spontaneous drive leads to discovery of the perfect property
In 2018, Bob was balancing his commercial roofing business with the demanding schedule of state politics in Madison and searching for a secluded weekend getaway where he and his family could decompress from the stress.
“I needed a place to get away and reset,” Bob said. “When we bought it in 2018, it was just going to be a weekend place for us and the kids to chill out.”
Bob had been watching real estate listings for his children, as well as keeping an eye out for a weekend property that could become a getaway. One afternoon while in Wausau, he had about 90 minutes to spare. He decided to take a spontaneous drive north to inspect a property, expecting to find a run-down property for the low price. He was pleasantly surprised and excited to pull into a driveway with a freshly mowed lawn, lit windows and an unusual property in great condition. Of particular interest, he was drawn to the geodesic dome shape of the three buildings – a house, a workshop and a garage.
Bob had spent decades working on a wide variety of roof lines, and the uncommon style of the buildings called to him. Bob called Laura immediately and arranged for a realtor to bring her so they could view the property together that same afternoon.
Tucked at the end of a dead-end road north of Merrill, the property just called to them. Standing amidst the trees at the edge of the property, Bob turned to Laura and asked if she thought they should buy it.
Though typically the cautious partner in the relationship, Laura found herself instantly charmed by the quiet forest. Their original plan was to retire near Stratford where their business was located, but Laura said this property felt like a dream place to retire, so she said yes.
The couple purchased the initial 1.5-acre parcel, setting in motion an adventure that still continues.
A life built on purpose paves the way for their dream retreat
Both Bob and Laura were raised in the Mennonite faith and tradition before marrying 41 years ago. While no longer living within the strict confines of the culture within which they were raised, the couple continues to share many of the tenets of their shared heritage today, especially faith, family, hospitality and a strong work ethic.
“Hospitality is something that’s deeply ingrained in Mennonite culture,” Bob said. “Food is too, but we don’t do the food – that would be too much! For us, sharing this place is about getting to know people in the community and offering travelers a space to refresh.”
In a remarkable twist of ancestry, the couple discovered early in their marriage that they were actually distant cousins, both tracing their lineage back to their eighth-great-grandfather Hans Herr, a prominent Mennonite pioneer whose 1719 home remains the oldest standing structure in Lancaster County, Penn.
Bob and Laura have become pioneers of their own, in their shared mission to craft a one-of-a-kind secluded retreat that has become more than just a vacation rental. A living and evolving labor of love, Friedenswald combines the couple’s heritage and their skill for building things by hand. The result is a warm, welcoming haven that showcases a little piece of God’s country in the Northwoods – their love for Jesus, remarkable architectural ingenuity, a knack for upcycling and repurposing old structures and a passion for helping people focus on relationships and real human connection.
For 35 years, prior to setting their sights on retirement and their secluded retreat, Bob ran Kulps of Stratford, a successful commercial roofing and construction business. Laura homeschooled their seven children and tutored students struggling with dyslexia, poured her heart into family, supported human trafficking survivors through handcrafted jewelry with Better Way Designs and joined Bob in marriage mentoring.
In 2013, Bob entered public service, representing the 69th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly and chairing the Assembly Transportation Committee. Drawing on Laura’s educational work and her hands-on experience as a reading tutor, Bob authored Wisconsin’s first landmark legislation on dyslexia intervention in public schools.
Turning geodesic domes into a cohesive woodland home
After purchasing the initial 1.5-acre parcel in 2018, Bob immediately set to work. Rather than walking outside in the cold Wisconsin winters between the main living dome and the workshop dome, he constructed a custom connecting central addition in 2020.
Bob then set his sights on building a multi-purpose barn structure. Engineered with massive steel I-beams to maintain a wide-open floor plan without interior posts, the building housed Bob’s woodworking shop on the ground level and an expansive living suite upstairs. Featuring soaring ceilings, exposed timber, patinated metal paneling and a full kitchen, the upper barn suite combines rustic, industrial and modern cabin aesthetics into a space that looks like it stepped out of an architectural magazine.
After years in the public eye and focused on politics and business management, the couple was ready for a slower pace and a new lifestyle. When Bob Kulp stepped down from the Wisconsin State Assembly after seven years of lawmaking in Madison, he wasn’t looking to launch a commercial hotel enterprise. He was looking for a place to build, decompress and work with his hands.
The decision to open the space to short-term rental guests came almost by accident. Prior to moving to Kenya for missionary aircraft maintenance and medical work, Bob and Laura’s adult son and daughter-in-law stayed in the upper barn suite for six months. When they suggested hosting travelers, Laura was hesitant at first.
“I’m an introvert, and I liked having my space,” Laura said. “I said we’re not doing an Airbnb, and I’m not cleaning it! But after our kids stayed here, we realized it didn’t feel like people were in our space at all. It was just another way for us to share our blessings and practice the hospitality that is so deeply ingrained in Mennonite culture.”
Building a silo library and barrel-curved doors
What truly sets Friedenswald apart from standard vacation rentals is Bob’s penchant for solving architectural puzzles with handcrafted ingenuity. Wanting to install a library and staircase to access the upper barn suite without sacrificing valuable floor space in his ground-floor woodshop, Bob designed a round exterior tower using a concrete stave grain silo.
Inside the silo, Bob built a custom wooden spiral staircase wrapped in built-in curved shelving to display the couple’s extensive book collection. But when it came to closing off the entryway, Laura threw down a challenge.
“He would have just made everything straight, but I wanted it to have character,” Laura said with a smile. “I asked him if he could make a curved sliding door, and he looked at me like I had five eyes! But he actually figured it out. He took two metal bands and placed wooden slats up and down – constructing it almost like a wooden barrel.”
Inside the suite, guest accommodations combine clever functionality with upcycled charm. Custom Murphy beds, constructed from converted furniture brought from their former home in Stratford, fold seamlessly into wall alcoves. In the main bathroom, a $100 restored Kohler cast-iron tub sits alongside a custom tiled walk-in shower engineered by Bob.
Upcycling farm machinery, playhouses and rope lights
Every acre of Friedenswald showcases Bob’s relentless creative drive and passion for repurposing discarded materials. Lighting throughout the barn features heavy rope fixtures, which Bob painstakingly hand-wrapped around electrical cords during quiet evenings.
Outdoors, guests can explore 17 distinct woodland walking trails – each named after one of the Kulps’ 17 grandchildren. Cozy forest camping units tucked along the trails, known as “Pooh’s Hideout” and “Owl’s Nest,” originally started as playhouses Bob constructed for his grandkids. When the playhouses were repurposed as guest cabins, Bob cheerfully said he had to turn around and build a new private playhouse for the grandchildren.
His recent tinkering continues at full speed. Salvaging a giant 10-foot industrial fan with heavy-duty bearings for $75 at an auction, Bob welded freestall barn stanchions onto the frame to build a custom playground merry-go-round. Nearby, he is in the process of re-erecting a donated steel grain silo to serve as a future two-level unit. And most recently, he brought in a small yacht that he positioned between the two ponds. Eventually, that will become another distinctive rental space for guests.
Expanding, transforming and opening their retreat
In the summer of 2019, two adjacent 1.5-acre lots behind the original parcel opened up, and the Kulps purchased the lots to expand Friedenswald to its current 4.5-acre property.
And what started out to be a family retreat for the couple, their children and their grandchildren grew to become a Northwoods haven of peace they would soon come to share with others beyond their family. The soft rush of running water announces a rare kind of Northwoods sanctuary. Travelers crossing a timber footbridge over a trickling stream are welcomed by songbirds and the soothing sight of twin waterfalls cascading into clear stone ponds. For hosts Bob and Laura Kulp, that peace is the whole point.
Whether unwinding in a gazebo warmed by a chiminea, gathering around an evening campfire or climbing the spiral staircase library tucked inside the silo, guests find an experience that feels less like a commercial lodging unit and more like stepping into the pages of an architectural magazine.
The Kulps say they have hosted guests from Midwest cities including Chicago, Minneapolis and Milwaukee, as well as more than a dozen countries around the world, among them Finland, the Netherlands and Colombia. Bob and Laura remain active in marriage mentoring, encouraging couples toward strong, resilient relationships.
“We don’t have a lot of restrictions,” Bob said. “It is come as you are – that’s the way Jesus says it, and we’re good with that, too.”
As travelers drive away at the end of their stay, they take with them more than memories of waterfalls and pine trees – a renewed spirit, touched by the quiet peace and heartfelt hospitality that define Friedenswald.
Friedenswald is located on Wilderness Dr. north of Merrill and can be booked through Houfy. The barn suite comes equipped with high-speed internet and a laptop-friendly workspace. A fire pit and gas grill are available for enjoying evenings outdoors. The surrounding area is well suited to walking, hiking, biking and bird watching, and the Wisconsin River is close by for guests interested in fishing, kayaking or canoeing.
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