diff --git a/app/app_test.go b/app/app_test.go
index fca03e15e..1cf983459 100644
--- a/app/app_test.go
+++ b/app/app_test.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
-	abci "github.com/tendermint/abci/types"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/modules/auth"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/modules/base"
@@ -18,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/modules/roles"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/stack"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/state"
+	abci "github.com/tendermint/abci/types"
 	wire "github.com/tendermint/go-wire"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/log"
 )
@@ -294,9 +294,10 @@ func TestQuery(t *testing.T) {
 	res = at.app.Commit()
 	assert.True(res.IsOK(), res)
 
+	key := stack.PrefixedKey(coin.NameCoin, at.acctIn.Address())
 	resQueryPostCommit := at.app.Query(abci.RequestQuery{
-		Path: "/account",
-		Data: at.acctIn.Address(),
+		Path: "/key",
+		Data: key,
 	})
 	assert.NotEqual(resQueryPreCommit, resQueryPostCommit, "Query should change before/after commit")
 }
diff --git a/app/store.go b/app/store.go
index 1f4442004..ee933fab9 100644
--- a/app/store.go
+++ b/app/store.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package app
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -9,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	abci "github.com/tendermint/abci/types"
-	"github.com/tendermint/go-wire"
 	"github.com/tendermint/iavl"
 	cmn "github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/common"
 	dbm "github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/db"
@@ -21,21 +19,9 @@ import (
 // Store contains the merkle tree, and all info to handle abci requests
 type Store struct {
 	state.State
-	height    uint64
-	hash      []byte
-	persisted bool
-
 	logger log.Logger
 }
 
-var stateKey = []byte("merkle:state") // Database key for merkle tree save value db values
-
-// ChainState contains the latest Merkle root hash and the number of times `Commit` has been called
-type ChainState struct {
-	Hash   []byte
-	Height uint64
-}
-
 // MockStore returns an in-memory store only intended for testing
 func MockStore() *Store {
 	res, err := NewStore("", 0, log.NewNopLogger())
@@ -49,11 +35,7 @@ func MockStore() *Store {
 // NewStore initializes an in-memory iavl.VersionedTree, or attempts to load a
 // persistant tree from disk
 func NewStore(dbName string, cacheSize int, logger log.Logger) (*Store, error) {
-	// start at 1 so the height returned by query is for the
-	// next block, ie. the one that includes the AppHash for our current state
-	initialHeight := uint64(1)
-
-	// Non-persistent case
+	// memory backed case, just for testing
 	if dbName == "" {
 		tree := iavl.NewVersionedTree(
 			0,
@@ -61,7 +43,6 @@ func NewStore(dbName string, cacheSize int, logger log.Logger) (*Store, error) {
 		)
 		store := &Store{
 			State:  state.NewState(tree),
-			height: initialHeight,
 			logger: logger,
 		}
 		return store, nil
@@ -87,79 +68,60 @@ func NewStore(dbName string, cacheSize int, logger log.Logger) (*Store, error) {
 	db := dbm.NewDB(name, dbm.LevelDBBackendStr, dir)
 	tree := iavl.NewVersionedTree(cacheSize, db)
 
-	var chainState ChainState
 	if empty {
 		logger.Info("no existing db, creating new db")
-		chainState = ChainState{
-			Hash:   nil,
-			Height: initialHeight,
-		}
-		db.Set(stateKey, wire.BinaryBytes(chainState))
 	} else {
 		logger.Info("loading existing db")
-		eyesStateBytes := db.Get(stateKey)
-
-		if err = wire.ReadBinaryBytes(eyesStateBytes, &chainState); err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Reading MerkleEyesState")
-		}
 		if err = tree.Load(); err != nil {
 			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Loading tree")
 		}
 	}
 
 	res := &Store{
-		State:     state.NewState(tree),
-		height:    chainState.Height,
-		hash:      chainState.Hash,
-		persisted: true,
-		logger:    logger,
+		State:  state.NewState(tree),
+		logger: logger,
 	}
 	return res, nil
 }
 
+func (s *Store) Height() uint64 {
+	return s.State.Committed().Tree.LatestVersion()
+}
+
+func (s *Store) Hash() []byte {
+	return s.State.Committed().Tree.Hash()
+}
+
 // Info implements abci.Application. It returns the height, hash and size (in the data).
 // The height is the block that holds the transactions, not the apphash itself.
 func (s *Store) Info() abci.ResponseInfo {
 	s.logger.Info("Info synced",
-		"height", s.height,
-		"hash", fmt.Sprintf("%X", s.hash))
+		"height", s.Height(),
+		"hash", fmt.Sprintf("%X", s.Hash()))
 	return abci.ResponseInfo{
 		Data:             cmn.Fmt("size:%v", s.State.Size()),
-		LastBlockHeight:  s.height - 1,
-		LastBlockAppHash: s.hash,
+		LastBlockHeight:  s.Height() - 1,
+		LastBlockAppHash: s.Hash(),
 	}
 }
 
 // Commit implements abci.Application
 func (s *Store) Commit() abci.Result {
-	var err error
-	s.height++
-	s.hash, err = s.State.Hash()
+	height := s.Height() + 1
+
+	hash, err := s.State.Commit(height)
 	if err != nil {
 		return abci.NewError(abci.CodeType_InternalError, err.Error())
 	}
-
 	s.logger.Debug("Commit synced",
-		"height", s.height,
-		"hash", fmt.Sprintf("%X", s.hash))
-
-	s.State.BatchSet(stateKey, wire.BinaryBytes(ChainState{
-		Hash:   s.hash,
-		Height: s.height,
-	}))
-
-	hash, err := s.State.Commit(s.height)
-	if err != nil {
-		return abci.NewError(abci.CodeType_InternalError, err.Error())
-	}
-	if !bytes.Equal(hash, s.hash) {
-		return abci.NewError(abci.CodeType_InternalError, "AppHash is incorrect")
-	}
+		"height", height,
+		"hash", fmt.Sprintf("%X", hash),
+	)
 
 	if s.State.Size() == 0 {
 		return abci.NewResultOK(nil, "Empty hash for empty tree")
 	}
-	return abci.NewResultOK(s.hash, "")
+	return abci.NewResultOK(hash, "")
 }
 
 // Query implements abci.Application
@@ -169,10 +131,10 @@ func (s *Store) Query(reqQuery abci.RequestQuery) (resQuery abci.ResponseQuery)
 
 	height := reqQuery.Height
 	if height == 0 {
-		if tree.Tree.VersionExists(s.height - 1) {
-			height = s.height - 1
+		if tree.Tree.VersionExists(s.Height() - 1) {
+			height = s.Height() - 1
 		} else {
-			height = s.height
+			height = s.Height()
 		}
 	}
 	resQuery.Height = height
diff --git a/state/merkle.go b/state/merkle.go
index a097b9431..f23be1cc7 100644
--- a/state/merkle.go
+++ b/state/merkle.go
@@ -37,21 +37,6 @@ func (s State) Check() SimpleDB {
 	return s.checkTx
 }
 
-// Hash applies deliverTx to committed and calculates hash
-//
-// Note the usage:
-// Hash -> gets the calculated hash but doesn't save
-// BatchSet -> adds some out-of-bounds data
-// Commit -> Save everything to disk and the same hash
-func (s *State) Hash() ([]byte, error) {
-	err := s.committed.Commit(s.deliverTx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	s.deliverTx = s.committed.Checkpoint()
-	return s.committed.Tree.Hash(), nil
-}
-
 // BatchSet is used for some weird magic in storing the new height
 func (s *State) BatchSet(key, value []byte) {
 	if s.persistent {