The creation of what is now the Fannin Battleground State Historic Site began in 1913, when the Hanleys, owners of the land, deeded 10 acres to the state. The next year, a cement wall four feet high and eight inches thick was built around the site. Iron gates, formerly at the grounds of the Texas capitol, were installed at the entrance, and an arch overhead declared that this was the "Fannin Battlefield." In 1916, a distinctive 29-foot granite obelisk was installed. Two years later, Louise L. Parks sold 3.62 acres to the state for use as a caretaker's residence. A windmill, now gone, and a reservoir and water tank that still remain were eventually added to help maintain the luxuriant flowers and trees planted there.