Land acquisition had presented some problems, with some landowners attempting to profiteer and others reneging on earlier donation agreements since the price of land in the parkway's path had gone up. The commissioners used their power of eminent domain sparingly, despite Moses's recommendations to the contrary, preferring to negotiate with local landowners since they, too, were longtime residents of the region. A land donation from James Baird, an engineer whose firm had built the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, led to the creation of James Baird State Park along the parkway in LaGrange.