In 1879, thousands gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Newtown and dedicate a monument built by the Newtown Monument Association atop a hill prominent in battle accounts. The monument, built of locally quarried stone and reached by interior stairs, soon fell into disrepair; by 1892 it had a gaping hole and a shattered marble inscription, and on the night of the battle's anniversary in 1911 it collapsed in a storm. The following year, New York State built the monument that stands today, often called Sullivan's Monument, after acquiring the small park that became the Newtown Battlefield Reservation. Newspaper accounts from 1879 and a plaque inside the first structure said Alfred Searles gave 15 acres to the association for the monument, though the donation does not appear to have been a legal transfer of ownership; his daughter, Hattie Elliot, legally deeded the original park to New York State in 1912 and several surrounding parcels in subsequent years. The reservation soon expanded, became a popular picnic ground, and after the monument and access road were built in 1912 was used principally for picnics with several rustic shelters. In 1929, thousands attended the 150th anniversary of the battle at the bottom of the hill while the naval airship Los Angeles flew overhead. In 1935, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1251, an African-American company that was one of only two commanded by African-American officers, arrived to develop the park, and most of the buildings standing there today were constructed by these young men.