 At the dedication ceremony on September 3, 1894, former governor William Rainey Marshall lambasted the commission in his speech.The state legislature provided additional money in 1895, along with clear instructions to secure acreage on the actual battlefield, but no action was taken.It wasn't until 1929, following a resurgence of community advocacy, that the state acquired the site and proclaimed it the Birch Cooley Battle Field State Memorial Park.