diff --git a/src/model.js b/src/model.js
index 3253ec7d..5f834cad 100644
--- a/src/model.js
+++ b/src/model.js
@@ -381,6 +381,13 @@ my.FacetList = Backbone.Collection.extend({
   model: my.Facet
 });
 
+// ## Object State
+//
+// Convenience Backbone model for storing (configuration) state of objects like Views.
+my.ObjectState = Backbone.Model.extend({
+});
+
+
 // ## Backend registry
 //
 // Backends will register themselves by id into this registry
diff --git a/src/view-grid.js b/src/view-grid.js
index 4334b159..02082455 100644
--- a/src/view-grid.js
+++ b/src/view-grid.js
@@ -20,8 +20,12 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
     this.model.currentDocuments.bind('add', this.render);
     this.model.currentDocuments.bind('reset', this.render);
     this.model.currentDocuments.bind('remove', this.render);
-    this.state = {};
-    this.hiddenFields = [];
+    this.tempState = {};
+    var state = _.extend({
+        hiddenFields: []
+      }, modelEtc.state
+    ); 
+    this.state = new recline.Model.ObjectState(state);
   },
 
   events: {
@@ -47,11 +51,11 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
   // Column and row menus
 
   onColumnHeaderClick: function(e) {
-    this.state.currentColumn = $(e.target).closest('.column-header').attr('data-field');
+    this.tempState.currentColumn = $(e.target).closest('.column-header').attr('data-field');
   },
 
   onRowHeaderClick: function(e) {
-    this.state.currentRow = $(e.target).parents('tr:first').attr('data-id');
+    this.tempState.currentRow = $(e.target).parents('tr:first').attr('data-id');
   },
   
   onRootHeaderClick: function(e) {
@@ -59,7 +63,7 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
         {{#columns}} \
         <li><a data-action="showColumn" data-column="{{.}}" href="JavaScript:void(0);">Show column: {{.}}</a></li> \
         {{/columns}}';
-    var tmp = $.mustache(tmpl, {'columns': this.hiddenFields});
+    var tmp = $.mustache(tmpl, {'columns': this.state.get('hiddenFields')});
     this.el.find('.root-header-menu .dropdown-menu').html(tmp);
   },
 
@@ -67,15 +71,15 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
     var self = this;
     e.preventDefault();
     var actions = {
-      bulkEdit: function() { self.showTransformColumnDialog('bulkEdit', {name: self.state.currentColumn}); },
+      bulkEdit: function() { self.showTransformColumnDialog('bulkEdit', {name: self.tempState.currentColumn}); },
       facet: function() { 
-        self.model.queryState.addFacet(self.state.currentColumn);
+        self.model.queryState.addFacet(self.tempState.currentColumn);
       },
       facet_histogram: function() {
-        self.model.queryState.addHistogramFacet(self.state.currentColumn);
+        self.model.queryState.addHistogramFacet(self.tempState.currentColumn);
       },
       filter: function() {
-        self.model.queryState.addTermFilter(self.state.currentColumn, '');
+        self.model.queryState.addTermFilter(self.tempState.currentColumn, '');
       },
       transform: function() { self.showTransformDialog('transform'); },
       sortAsc: function() { self.setColumnSort('asc'); },
@@ -86,7 +90,7 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
         var doc = _.find(self.model.currentDocuments.models, function(doc) {
           // important this is == as the currentRow will be string (as comes
           // from DOM) while id may be int
-          return doc.id == self.state.currentRow;
+          return doc.id == self.tempState.currentRow;
         });
         doc.destroy().then(function() { 
             self.model.currentDocuments.remove(doc);
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
     var view = new my.ColumnTransform({
       model: this.model
     });
-    view.state = this.state;
+    view.state = this.tempState;
     view.render();
     $el.empty();
     $el.append(view.el);
@@ -131,17 +135,20 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
 
   setColumnSort: function(order) {
     var sort = [{}];
-    sort[0][this.state.currentColumn] = {order: order};
+    sort[0][this.tempState.currentColumn] = {order: order};
     this.model.query({sort: sort});
   },
   
   hideColumn: function() {
-    this.hiddenFields.push(this.state.currentColumn);
+    var hiddenFields = this.state.get('hiddenFields');
+    hiddenFields.push(this.tempState.currentColumn);
+    this.state.set({hiddenFields: hiddenFields});
     this.render();
   },
   
   showColumn: function(e) {
-    this.hiddenFields = _.without(this.hiddenFields, $(e.target).data('column'));
+    var hiddenFields = _.without(this.state.get('hiddenFields'), $(e.target).data('column'));
+    this.state.set({hiddenFields: hiddenFields});
     this.render();
   },
 
@@ -197,7 +204,7 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
   render: function() {
     var self = this;
     this.fields = this.model.fields.filter(function(field) {
-      return _.indexOf(self.hiddenFields, field.id) == -1;
+      return _.indexOf(self.state.get('hiddenFields'), field.id) == -1;
     });
     var htmls = $.mustache(this.template, this.toTemplateJSON());
     this.el.html(htmls);
@@ -211,7 +218,7 @@ my.DataGrid = Backbone.View.extend({
         });
       newView.render();
     });
-    this.el.toggleClass('no-hidden', (self.hiddenFields.length === 0));
+    this.el.toggleClass('no-hidden', (self.state.get('hiddenFields').length === 0));
     return this;
   }
 });
diff --git a/src/view.js b/src/view.js
index cff9b9d3..26cb51f0 100644
--- a/src/view.js
+++ b/src/view.js
@@ -108,12 +108,8 @@ my.DataExplorer = Backbone.View.extend({
           })
       }];
     }
-    this.state = {
-      dataset: null,
-      queryState: this.model.queryState.toJSON(),
-      currentView: null
-    };
-    this._setupStateManagement();
+    this.state = {};
+    this._setupState();
     // this must be called after pageViews are created
     this.render();
 
@@ -237,15 +233,21 @@ my.DataExplorer = Backbone.View.extend({
     }
   },
 
-  _setupStateManagement: function() {
+  _setupState: function() {
     var self = this;
+    this.state = {
+      dataset: null,
+      query: this.model.queryState.toJSON(),
+      currentView: null
+    };
     this.model.queryState.bind('change', function() {
       self.state.queryState = this.model.queryState.toJSON();
     });
     _.each(this.pageViews, function(pageView) {
       if (pageView.view.state && pageView.view.state.bind) {
+        self.state['view-' + pageView.id] = pageView.view.state.toJSON();
         pageView.view.state.bind('change', function() {
-          self.state['view-' + pageView.view.id] = pageView.view.state.toJSON();
+          self.state['view-' + pageView.id] = pageView.view.state.toJSON();
         });
       }
     });
diff --git a/test/view-grid.test.js b/test/view-grid.test.js
index be848f22..19031458 100644
--- a/test/view-grid.test.js
+++ b/test/view-grid.test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 (function ($) {
 
-module("View - Grid");
+module("View - DataGrid");
 
 function assertPresent(selector) {
   var found = $(selector);
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ function assertNotPresent(selector) {
   equal(found.length, 0);
 }
 
-test('DataGrid - menu - hideColumn', function () {
+test('menu - hideColumn', function () {
   var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
   var view = new recline.View.DataGrid({
     model: dataset
@@ -24,6 +24,24 @@ test('DataGrid - menu - hideColumn', function () {
   var hideColumn = view.el.find('.column-header[data-field="x"] a[data-action="hideColumn"]');
   hideColumn.trigger('click');
   assertNotPresent('.column-header[data-field="x"]');
+
+  // also test a bit of state
+  deepEqual(view.state.toJSON(), {hiddenFields: ['x']});
+  view.remove();
+});
+
+test('state', function () {
+  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
+  var view = new recline.View.DataGrid({
+    model: dataset,
+    state: {
+      hiddenFields: ['z']
+    }
+  });
+  $('.fixtures .test-datatable').append(view.el);
+  view.render();
+  assertPresent('.column-header[data-field="x"]');
+  assertNotPresent('.column-header[data-field="z"]');
   view.remove();
 });
 
diff --git a/test/view.test.js b/test/view.test.js
index 73aeacce..00c26267 100644
--- a/test/view.test.js
+++ b/test/view.test.js
@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@ test('getState', function () {
     el: $el
   });
   var state = explorer.getState();
-  ok(state.queryState);
-  equal(state.queryState.size, 100);
+  ok(state.query);
+  equal(state.query.size, 100);
+  deepEqual(state['view-grid'].hiddenFields, []);
   $el.remove();
 });