diff --git a/Source/cmState.cxx b/Source/cmState.cxx
index 3ce9051610..42d60faafd 100644
--- a/Source/cmState.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmState.cxx
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@
 #include "cmSystemTools.h"
 #include "cmake.h"
 
+namespace cmStateDetail {
+std::string const PropertySentinel = std::string{};
+} // namespace cmStateDetail
+
 cmState::cmState(Mode mode, ProjectKind projectKind)
   : StateMode(mode)
   , StateProjectKind(projectKind)
diff --git a/Source/cmStateDirectory.cxx b/Source/cmStateDirectory.cxx
index 1c69b3bf3a..8f5ea97994 100644
--- a/Source/cmStateDirectory.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmStateDirectory.cxx
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ cmBTStringRange GetPropertyContent(T const& content, U contentEndPosition)
   auto end = content.begin() + contentEndPosition;
 
   auto rbegin = cm::make_reverse_iterator(end);
-  rbegin = std::find(rbegin, content.rend(), cmPropertySentinel);
+  rbegin = std::find(rbegin, content.rend(), cmStateDetail::PropertySentinel);
 
   return cmMakeRange(rbegin.base(), end);
 }
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ void cmStateDirectory::PrependIncludeDirectoriesEntry(
 
   auto rend = this->DirectoryState->IncludeDirectories.rend();
   auto rbegin = cm::make_reverse_iterator(entryEnd);
-  rbegin = std::find(rbegin, rend, cmPropertySentinel);
+  rbegin = std::find(rbegin, rend, cmStateDetail::PropertySentinel);
 
   auto entryIt = rbegin.base();
 
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ void cmStateDirectory::PrependLinkDirectoriesEntry(const BT<std::string>& vec)
 
   auto rend = this->DirectoryState->LinkDirectories.rend();
   auto rbegin = cm::make_reverse_iterator(entryEnd);
-  rbegin = std::find(rbegin, rend, cmPropertySentinel);
+  rbegin = std::find(rbegin, rend, cmStateDetail::PropertySentinel);
 
   auto entryIt = rbegin.base();
 
diff --git a/Source/cmStatePrivate.h b/Source/cmStatePrivate.h
index 2a8241424c..651d9935f8 100644
--- a/Source/cmStatePrivate.h
+++ b/Source/cmStatePrivate.h
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
 namespace cmStateDetail {
 struct BuildsystemDirectoryStateType;
 struct PolicyStackEntry;
+extern std::string const PropertySentinel;
 } // namespace cmStateDetail
 
-static std::string const cmPropertySentinel = std::string();
-
 struct cmStateDetail::SnapshotDataType
 {
   cmStateDetail::PositionType ScopeParent;
diff --git a/Source/cmStateSnapshot.cxx b/Source/cmStateSnapshot.cxx
index 43d4f59347..50fc8d1fa8 100644
--- a/Source/cmStateSnapshot.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmStateSnapshot.cxx
@@ -290,7 +290,8 @@ void InitializeContentFromParent(T& parentContent, T& thisContent,
 
   auto parentRbegin = cm::make_reverse_iterator(parentEnd);
   auto parentRend = parentContent.rend();
-  parentRbegin = std::find(parentRbegin, parentRend, cmPropertySentinel);
+  parentRbegin =
+    std::find(parentRbegin, parentRend, cmStateDetail::PropertySentinel);
   auto parentIt = parentRbegin.base();
 
   thisContent = std::vector<BT<std::string>>(parentIt, parentEnd);