The park was created in the 1940s as one of Maine's original five state parks after the land was acquired from the Federal government in 1939. The park's borders were extended across Maine Route 9 with the addition of the Knight Woods parcels in the 1990s and 2000s.
Geology
The park's namesake has been described as a "small, inconspicuous hill, less than 500' high," that despite its size offers panoramic views that make the park one of the more popular ones in the state. The underlying material of granite and pegmatite is exposed at the summit.