diff --git a/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx b/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx
index eb6b87197..a16fc5541 100644
--- a/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ cmLocalGenerator::~cmLocalGenerator()
 
 bool cmLocalGenerator::IsRootMakefile() const
 {
-  return !this->StateSnapshot.GetParent().IsValid();
+  return !this->StateSnapshot.GetBuildsystemDirectoryParent().IsValid();
 }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
index 80849f597..473b7d2e1 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
@@ -1628,7 +1628,7 @@ void cmMakefile::AddSubDirectory(const std::string& srcPath,
     }
 
   cmState::Snapshot newSnapshot = this->GetState()
-      ->CreateSnapshot(this->StateSnapshot);
+      ->CreateBuildsystemDirectorySnapshot(this->StateSnapshot);
 
   // create a new local generator and set its parent
   cmLocalGenerator *lg2 = this->GetGlobalGenerator()
@@ -4032,7 +4032,8 @@ const char *cmMakefile::GetProperty(const std::string& prop,
   output = "";
   if (prop == "PARENT_DIRECTORY")
     {
-    cmState::Snapshot parent = this->StateSnapshot.GetParent();
+    cmState::Snapshot parent =
+        this->StateSnapshot.GetBuildsystemDirectoryParent();
     if(parent.IsValid())
       {
       return parent.GetCurrentSourceDirectory();
diff --git a/Source/cmState.cxx b/Source/cmState.cxx
index 58885d3b9..c6fb2998e 100644
--- a/Source/cmState.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmState.cxx
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ void cmState::Snapshot::ComputeRelativePathTopSource()
   snapshots.push_back(snapshot);
   while (true)
     {
-    snapshot = snapshot.GetParent();
+    snapshot = snapshot.GetBuildsystemDirectoryParent();
     if (snapshot.IsValid())
       {
       snapshots.push_back(snapshot);
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ void cmState::Snapshot::ComputeRelativePathTopBinary()
   snapshots.push_back(snapshot);
   while (true)
     {
-    snapshot = snapshot.GetParent();
+    snapshot = snapshot.GetBuildsystemDirectoryParent();
     if (snapshot.IsValid())
       {
       snapshots.push_back(snapshot);
@@ -659,12 +659,23 @@ void cmState::Snapshot::ComputeRelativePathTopBinary()
     }
 }
 
-cmState::Snapshot cmState::CreateSnapshot(Snapshot originSnapshot)
+cmState::Snapshot cmState::CreateBaseSnapshot()
 {
-  if (!originSnapshot.IsValid())
-    {
-    originSnapshot.State = this;
-    }
+  PositionType pos = 0;
+  this->ParentPositions.push_back(pos);
+  this->Locations.resize(1);
+  this->OutputLocations.resize(1);
+  this->CurrentSourceDirectoryComponents.resize(1);
+  this->CurrentBinaryDirectoryComponents.resize(1);
+  this->RelativePathTopSource.resize(1);
+  this->RelativePathTopBinary.resize(1);
+  return cmState::Snapshot(this, pos);
+}
+
+cmState::Snapshot
+cmState::CreateBuildsystemDirectorySnapshot(Snapshot originSnapshot)
+{
+  assert(originSnapshot.IsValid());
   PositionType pos = this->ParentPositions.size();
   this->ParentPositions.push_back(originSnapshot.Position);
   this->Locations.resize(this->Locations.size() + 1);
@@ -764,7 +775,7 @@ bool cmState::Snapshot::IsValid() const
   return this->State ? true : false;
 }
 
-cmState::Snapshot cmState::Snapshot::GetParent() const
+cmState::Snapshot cmState::Snapshot::GetBuildsystemDirectoryParent() const
 {
   Snapshot snapshot;
   if (!this->State || this->Position == 0)
diff --git a/Source/cmState.h b/Source/cmState.h
index 77a066f9f..60b024f33 100644
--- a/Source/cmState.h
+++ b/Source/cmState.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public:
     void SetRelativePathTopBinary(const char* dir);
 
     bool IsValid() const;
-    Snapshot GetParent() const;
+    Snapshot GetBuildsystemDirectoryParent() const;
 
   private:
     void ComputeRelativePathTopSource();
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ public:
     cmState::PositionType Position;
   };
 
-  Snapshot CreateSnapshot(Snapshot originSnapshot);
+  Snapshot CreateBaseSnapshot();
+  Snapshot CreateBuildsystemDirectorySnapshot(Snapshot originSnapshot);
 
   enum CacheEntryType{ BOOL=0, PATH, FILEPATH, STRING, INTERNAL,STATIC,
                        UNINITIALIZED };
diff --git a/Source/cmake.cxx b/Source/cmake.cxx
index 6cd005e31..1096a1c09 100644
--- a/Source/cmake.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmake.cxx
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ cmake::cmake()
 
   this->Policies = new cmPolicies();
   this->State = new cmState(this);
-  this->CurrentSnapshot = this->State->CreateSnapshot(cmState::Snapshot());
+  this->CurrentSnapshot = this->State->CreateBaseSnapshot();
 
 #ifdef __APPLE__
   struct rlimit rlp;