Once upon a time, there were 11 little Tee Pees built in the small Texas town of Wharton that came to be known as the Tee Pee Motel.  Originally built and designed by George and Toppie Belcher in 1942 and abandoned in the 80's,will once again come to life.  The new owner, Blue Dolphin Unlimited Investments, LP is looking forward to them becoming part of the architectural craze they were once a part of.

           The eleven majestically standing Tee Pees have changed hands several times through the years and promises of the past to restore the now 64 year old structures have come and gone.  These Tee Pee structures built from wood and stucco still turn the heads of travelers who have never visited  Wharton before.

           Built just after World War II by contractor Lacy Helms, of Helms Lumber during a time when wood was still being rationed after the war to provide for GIs returning home.  Mr. Helms went to great lengths to obtain clearance from the Federal Government to get enough lumber to frame the Tee Pees.

            Although closed in the 1980s, in their prime the Tee Pees became a symbol for the City of Wharton.  They were designed to attract business from the highway, and, according to Mrs. Belcher, they did just that.

 “They have an innocence about them, even though that might have changed toward the last years of their use,” she said.  “Actually we were probably never as innocent as we were naive.”

           Each of the ten units has a comfortable bedroom and private bath and will be equipped with a refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker. 

           Work on the repair and renovation of the Tee Pees began in January 2005 by Statewide Solutions of East Bernard, Texas.  The character of the Tee Pees will once again come to life and create new memories for those passerbys that always wanted to stay there as a young child and revive old memories for the ones that spent the night there many years ago.

           Part of the new life of the tee pees will include authentic portrayals of the Native American history for Nations that are a part of Texas’ history.  “ We feel this to be a great opportunity to educate our visitors about a part of our history that is greatly neglected in America today,” says Susie Dusek of Blue Dolphin Unlimited Investments, LP.  “In my work on this project I, myself have learned a great deal and find it important to learn things about a part of history that I was never educated about in my traditional studies” she said.  Each of the Tee Pees will include some of the history of these tribes and will allow each unit to take on it’s own personality.  Out of respect and in honor of all Native American Nations, we will leave the history and continuance of their culture to those who live it.

          The historical Tee Pees are the only ones of their kind still in existence in Texas.  Once up and running they will be one of four operating in the United States,  the other three are in Kentucky, California and Arizona.     When asked why Blue Dolphin wanted to take on such a project, Bryon, President of Blue Dolphin replied  “Because we didn’t want to see a piece of history destroyed,” said Bryon.  “The Tee Pee Motel has become a very important part of the history of Wharton County and when we started researching the possibilities, we were astounded at the numberof people who actually look forward to someone refurbishing them so they can get a chance to stay in one,” he added.  “Besides, I honestly think there would be a riot if they were torn down”, he laughed.

           The Tee Pee complex will also include an RV park with full hookups and other amenities.  The combination of the motel units and the RV park will offer tourists a choice of accommodations as they travel through the Wharton area.

            The excitement surrounding the reopening of the Tee Pees has generated bookings for both the Motel and the RV Park, even before a final completion date has been established.