diff --git a/lib/services/block/index.js b/lib/services/block/index.js
index 3e6dba82..858c71f0 100644
--- a/lib/services/block/index.js
+++ b/lib/services/block/index.js
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ BlockService.prototype._handleReorg = function(hash, allHeaders) {
 
   this._reorging = true; // while this is set, we won't be sending blocks
 
-  log.warn('Block Serivce: Chain reorganization detected! Our current block tip is: ' +
+  log.warn('Block Service: Chain reorganization detected! Our current block tip is: ' +
     this._tip.hash + ' the current block: ' + hash + '.');
 
   this._findCommonAncestor(hash, allHeaders, function(err, newHash, commonAncestorHash, oldBlocks) {
@@ -482,7 +482,6 @@ BlockService.prototype._onBlock = function(block) {
 BlockService.prototype._setListeners = function() {
 
   this._header.once('headers', this._onAllHeaders.bind(this));
-  this._header.on('reorg', this._handleReorg.bind(this));
 
 };
 
diff --git a/lib/services/header/index.js b/lib/services/header/index.js
index 70c00854..dc4bdd74 100644
--- a/lib/services/header/index.js
+++ b/lib/services/header/index.js
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ var HeaderService = function(options) {
   this._tip = null;
   this._p2p = this.node.services.p2p;
   this._db = this.node.services.db;
-  this._checkpoint = this.node.checkpoint || 1000; // the # of header to look back on boot
   this._headers = new utils.SimpleMap();
 
   this.subscriptions = {};
@@ -97,9 +96,6 @@ HeaderService.prototype.start = function(callback) {
         height: self._tip.height,
         hash: self._tip.hash
       };
-      if (self._tip.height > self._checkpoint) {
-        self._tip.height -= self._checkpoint;
-      }
       if (self._tip.height === 0) {
 
         var genesisHeader = {
@@ -248,11 +244,10 @@ HeaderService.prototype._onHeaders = function(headers) {
     log.debug('Header Service: download complete.');
 
     // have we reorg'ed since we've been shutdown?
-    if (self._originalTip.height > 0) {
+    if (self._tip.height > 0) {
 
-      var headerHash = self._headers.getIndex(self._originalTip.height).hash;
-
-      if (self._originalTip.hash !== headerHash) {
+      var headerHash = self._headers.getIndex(self._tip.height).hash;
+      if (self._tip.hash !== headerHash) {
 
         self.emit('reorg', headerHash, self._headers);
         return;
@@ -282,8 +277,7 @@ HeaderService.prototype._onBestHeight = function(height) {
 
 HeaderService.prototype._startSync = function() {
 
-  this._numNeeded = Math.max(this._bestHeight - this._tip.height, this._checkpoint);
-
+  this._numNeeded = this._bestHeight - this._tip.height;
 
   log.info('Header Service: Gathering: ' + this._numNeeded + ' ' + 'header(s) from the peer-to-peer network.');
 
@@ -308,10 +302,11 @@ HeaderService.prototype._getPersistedHeaders = function(callback) {
 
   var self = this;
 
-
   var start = self._encoding.encodeHeaderKey(0);
   var end = self._encoding.encodeHeaderKey(self._tip.height + 1);
 
+  log.debug('Getting persisted headers from genesis block to block ' + (self._tip.height + 1));
+
   var criteria = {
     gte: start,
     lte: end