diff --git a/Source/cmCPluginAPI.cxx b/Source/cmCPluginAPI.cxx
index bd8c10cc5..0d24ed5ed 100644
--- a/Source/cmCPluginAPI.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmCPluginAPI.cxx
@@ -526,11 +526,9 @@ void * CCONV cmCreateSourceFile(void)
   return (void*)new cmCPluginAPISourceFile;
 }
 
-void * CCONV cmCreateNewSourceFile(void *arg)
+void * CCONV cmCreateNewSourceFile(void *)
 {
-  cmMakefile *mf = static_cast<cmMakefile *>(arg);
   cmCPluginAPISourceFile *sf = new cmCPluginAPISourceFile;
-  sf->Properties.SetCMakeInstance(mf->GetCMakeInstance());
   return (void*)sf;
 }
 
@@ -630,11 +628,7 @@ const char * CCONV  cmSourceFileGetProperty(void *arg,const char *prop)
       {
       return sf->FullPath.c_str();
       }
-    bool chain = false;
-    // Ignore chain because old code will not expect it and it is a
-    // pain to implement here anyway.
-    return sf->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop, cmProperty::SOURCE_FILE,
-                                           chain);
+    return sf->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/Source/cmCacheManager.cxx b/Source/cmCacheManager.cxx
index 6af14f29f..54209c5ce 100644
--- a/Source/cmCacheManager.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmCacheManager.cxx
@@ -161,7 +161,6 @@ bool cmCacheManager::LoadCache(const std::string& path,
     // Format is key:type=value
     std::string helpString;
     CacheEntry e;
-    e.Properties.SetCMakeInstance(this->CMakeInstance);
     cmSystemTools::GetLineFromStream(fin, buffer);
     realbuffer = buffer.c_str();
     while(*realbuffer != '0' &&
@@ -323,7 +322,6 @@ bool cmCacheManager::ReadPropertyEntry(std::string const& entryKey,
         {
         // Create an entry and store the property.
         CacheEntry& ne = this->Cache[key];
-        ne.Properties.SetCMakeInstance(this->CMakeInstance);
         ne.Type = cmState::UNINITIALIZED;
         ne.SetProperty(*p, e.Value.c_str());
         }
@@ -645,7 +643,6 @@ void cmCacheManager::AddCacheEntry(const std::string& key,
                                    cmState::CacheEntryType type)
 {
   CacheEntry& e = this->Cache[key];
-  e.Properties.SetCMakeInstance(this->CMakeInstance);
   if ( value )
     {
     e.Value = value;
@@ -744,9 +741,7 @@ cmCacheManager::CacheEntry::GetProperty(const std::string& prop) const
     {
     return this->Value.c_str();
     }
-  bool c = false;
-  return
-    this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop, cmProperty::CACHE, c);
+  return this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
 }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/Source/cmGlobalGenerator.cxx b/Source/cmGlobalGenerator.cxx
index 481de1946..bd949bb42 100644
--- a/Source/cmGlobalGenerator.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmGlobalGenerator.cxx
@@ -2438,7 +2438,6 @@ cmTarget cmGlobalGenerator::CreateGlobalTarget(
 {
   // Package
   cmTarget target;
-  target.GetProperties().SetCMakeInstance(this->CMakeInstance);
   target.SetType(cmTarget::GLOBAL_TARGET, name);
   target.SetProperty("EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL","TRUE");
 
diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
index 9c0d4b10c..bc308f179 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
@@ -213,8 +213,6 @@ cmMakefile::cmMakefile(cmLocalGenerator* localGenerator)
   this->AddSourceGroup("Object Files", "\\.(lo|o|obj)$");
 #endif
 
-  this->Properties.SetCMakeInstance(this->GetCMakeInstance());
-
   {
   const char* dir = this->GetCMakeInstance()->GetHomeDirectory();
   this->AddDefinition("CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR", dir);
@@ -4134,11 +4132,13 @@ void cmMakefile::AppendProperty(const std::string& prop,
 
 const char *cmMakefile::GetProperty(const std::string& prop) const
 {
-  return this->GetProperty(prop, cmProperty::DIRECTORY);
+  const bool chain = this->GetState()->
+                  IsPropertyChained(prop, cmProperty::DIRECTORY);
+  return this->GetProperty(prop, chain);
 }
 
 const char *cmMakefile::GetProperty(const std::string& prop,
-                                    cmProperty::ScopeType scope) const
+                                    bool chain) const
 {
   // watch for specific properties
   static std::string output;
@@ -4242,15 +4242,13 @@ const char *cmMakefile::GetProperty(const std::string& prop,
     return output.c_str();
     }
 
-  bool chain = false;
-  const char *retVal =
-    this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop, scope, chain);
-  if (chain)
+  const char *retVal = this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
+  if (!retVal && chain)
     {
     if(this->LocalGenerator->GetParent())
       {
       return this->LocalGenerator->GetParent()->GetMakefile()->
-        GetProperty(prop, scope);
+        GetProperty(prop, chain);
       }
     return this->GetState()->GetGlobalProperty(prop);
     }
diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.h b/Source/cmMakefile.h
index def0c23e9..751863105 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.h
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.h
@@ -717,8 +717,7 @@ public:
   void AppendProperty(const std::string& prop, const char *value,
                       bool asString=false);
   const char *GetProperty(const std::string& prop) const;
-  const char *GetProperty(const std::string& prop,
-                          cmProperty::ScopeType scope) const;
+  const char *GetProperty(const std::string& prop, bool chain) const;
   bool GetPropertyAsBool(const std::string& prop) const;
 
   const char* GetFeature(const std::string& feature,
diff --git a/Source/cmPropertyMap.cxx b/Source/cmPropertyMap.cxx
index de2cd0582..ef09dbcf0 100644
--- a/Source/cmPropertyMap.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmPropertyMap.cxx
@@ -57,22 +57,13 @@ void cmPropertyMap::AppendProperty(const std::string& name, const char* value,
 }
 
 const char *cmPropertyMap
-::GetPropertyValue(const std::string& name,
-                   cmProperty::ScopeType scope,
-                   bool &chain) const
+::GetPropertyValue(const std::string& name) const
 {
-  chain = false;
   assert(!name.empty());
 
   cmPropertyMap::const_iterator it = this->find(name);
   if (it == this->end())
     {
-    // should we chain up?
-    if (this->CMakeInstance)
-      {
-      chain = this->CMakeInstance->GetState()->
-                    IsPropertyChained(name,scope);
-      }
     return 0;
     }
   return it->second.GetValue();
diff --git a/Source/cmPropertyMap.h b/Source/cmPropertyMap.h
index 722732b56..a9062dbbd 100644
--- a/Source/cmPropertyMap.h
+++ b/Source/cmPropertyMap.h
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@
 
 #include "cmProperty.h"
 
-class cmake;
-
 class cmPropertyMap : public std::map<std::string,cmProperty>
 {
 public:
@@ -26,16 +24,7 @@ public:
   void AppendProperty(const std::string& name, const char* value,
                       bool asString=false);
 
-  const char *GetPropertyValue(const std::string& name,
-                               cmProperty::ScopeType scope,
-                               bool &chain) const;
-
-  void SetCMakeInstance(cmake *cm) { this->CMakeInstance = cm; }
-
-  cmPropertyMap() { this->CMakeInstance = 0;}
-
-private:
-  cmake *CMakeInstance;
+  const char *GetPropertyValue(const std::string& name) const;
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/Source/cmSetTestsPropertiesCommand.cxx b/Source/cmSetTestsPropertiesCommand.cxx
index e9cfaccea..53dc5a8a6 100644
--- a/Source/cmSetTestsPropertiesCommand.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmSetTestsPropertiesCommand.cxx
@@ -85,8 +85,10 @@ bool cmSetTestsPropertiesCommand
     unsigned int k;
     for (k = 0; k < propertyPairs.size(); k = k + 2)
       {
-      test->SetProperty(propertyPairs[k],
-                        propertyPairs[k+1].c_str());
+      if (!propertyPairs[k].empty())
+        {
+        test->SetProperty(propertyPairs[k], propertyPairs[k+1].c_str());
+        }
       }
     }
   else
diff --git a/Source/cmSourceFile.cxx b/Source/cmSourceFile.cxx
index df511d832..86f0a7a87 100644
--- a/Source/cmSourceFile.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmSourceFile.cxx
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ cmSourceFile::cmSourceFile(cmMakefile* mf, const std::string& name):
   Location(mf, name)
 {
   this->CustomCommand = 0;
-  this->Properties.SetCMakeInstance(mf->GetCMakeInstance());
   this->FindFullPathFailed = false;
   this->IsUiFile = (".ui" ==
           cmSystemTools::GetFilenameLastExtension(this->Location.GetName()));
@@ -361,13 +360,16 @@ const char* cmSourceFile::GetProperty(const std::string& prop) const
       }
     }
 
-  bool chain = false;
-  const char *retVal =
-    this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop, cmProperty::SOURCE_FILE, chain);
-  if (chain)
+  const char *retVal = this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
+  if (!retVal)
     {
     cmMakefile const* mf = this->Location.GetMakefile();
-    return mf->GetProperty(prop,cmProperty::SOURCE_FILE);
+    const bool chain = mf->GetState()->
+                      IsPropertyChained(prop, cmProperty::SOURCE_FILE);
+    if (chain)
+      {
+      return mf->GetProperty(prop, chain);
+      }
     }
 
   return retVal;
diff --git a/Source/cmState.cxx b/Source/cmState.cxx
index 7bfeda19a..25b49663a 100644
--- a/Source/cmState.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmState.cxx
@@ -482,9 +482,7 @@ const char *cmState::GetGlobalProperty(const std::string& prop)
     return FOR_EACH_CXX_FEATURE(STRING_LIST_ELEMENT) + 1;
     }
 #undef STRING_LIST_ELEMENT
-  bool dummy = false;
-  return this->GlobalProperties.GetPropertyValue(prop, cmProperty::GLOBAL,
-                                                 dummy);
+  return this->GlobalProperties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
 }
 
 bool cmState::GetGlobalPropertyAsBool(const std::string& prop)
diff --git a/Source/cmTarget.cxx b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
index 873163246..d1399ef13 100644
--- a/Source/cmTarget.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
@@ -286,9 +286,6 @@ void cmTarget::SetMakefile(cmMakefile* mf)
   // Set our makefile.
   this->Makefile = mf;
 
-  // set the cmake instance of the properties
-  this->Properties.SetCMakeInstance(mf->GetCMakeInstance());
-
   // Check whether this is a DLL platform.
   this->DLLPlatform = (this->Makefile->IsOn("WIN32") ||
                        this->Makefile->IsOn("CYGWIN") ||
@@ -3167,12 +3164,15 @@ const char *cmTarget::GetProperty(const std::string& prop,
       }
     }
 
-  bool chain = false;
-  const char *retVal =
-    this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop, cmProperty::TARGET, chain);
-  if (chain)
+  const char *retVal = this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
+  if (!retVal)
     {
-    return this->Makefile->GetProperty(prop, cmProperty::TARGET);
+    const bool chain = this->GetMakefile()->GetState()->
+                      IsPropertyChained(prop, cmProperty::TARGET);
+    if (chain)
+      {
+      return this->Makefile->GetProperty(prop, chain);
+      }
     }
   return retVal;
 }
diff --git a/Source/cmTest.cxx b/Source/cmTest.cxx
index c60685967..6fcd0dc95 100644
--- a/Source/cmTest.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTest.cxx
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ cmTest::cmTest(cmMakefile* mf)
 {
   this->Makefile = mf;
   this->OldStyle = true;
-  this->Properties.SetCMakeInstance(mf->GetCMakeInstance());
 }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -50,12 +49,15 @@ void cmTest::SetCommand(std::vector<std::string> const& command)
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 const char *cmTest::GetProperty(const std::string& prop) const
 {
-  bool chain = false;
-  const char *retVal =
-    this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop, cmProperty::TEST, chain);
-  if (chain)
+  const char *retVal = this->Properties.GetPropertyValue(prop);
+  if (!retVal)
     {
-    return this->Makefile->GetProperty(prop,cmProperty::TEST);
+    const bool chain = this->Makefile->GetState()->
+          IsPropertyChained(prop, cmProperty::TEST);
+    if (chain)
+      {
+      return this->Makefile->GetProperty(prop, chain);
+      }
     }
   return retVal;
 }