CHARTER
OF THE RHODE-ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Whereas Jeremiah Lippitt, William Aplin, Charles Norris Tibbitts, Walter R. Danforth, William R. Staples, Richard W. Greene, John Brown Francis, William G. Goddard, Charles F. Tillinghast, Richard J. Arnold, Charles Jackson, and William E. Richmond, have petitioned this General Assembly to incorporate them into a society, by the name of the Rhode-Island Historical Society: Therefore,
Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is enacted, That the aforesaid persons, together with such others as they shall hereafter associate with them, and their successors, are hereby constituted, ordained and created a body corporate and politic, by the name of The Rhode-Island Historical Society, for the purpose of procuring and preserving whatever relates to the topography, antiquities, and natural, civil and ecclesiastical history of this State; and by the name aforesaid shall have perpetual succession; and by the same name are hereby made able and capable in law, as a body corporate, to have, hold and enjoy goods, chattels, lands and tenements, to the value of five thousand dollars, exclusive of their library, cabinet and historical collections and antiquities, and the same at all times to dispose of; to have a common seal, and the same at pleasure to change and destroy; to sue and be sued, to plead and to be impleaded, to answer and to answer unto, to defend and to be defended against, in all courts of justice and before all proper judges; and to do, act and transact all matters and things whatsoever, proper for bodies corporate to do, act and transact; and to establish and enact such a constitution and such by-laws as shall be deemed necessary and expedient, provided that they be not repugnant to the laws of this State, or of the United States; and to annex to the breach of those laws such fines as they may deem fit.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said corporation be further authorized and empowered to elect and qualify such officers as may by them be deemed necessary; to be chosen at such time, and to hold their offices for such period, as the constitution of said corporation shall prescribe; and to appoint and hold such meetings as shall be thought proper.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That said society shall establish two cabinets for the deposit and safe-keeping of all the ancient documents and records illustrating the history and antiquities of this State; one of said cabinets in the town of Newport, for the safe keeping of the records of the early history of the southern section of the State, and the other in the town of Providence, for the safe-keeping of the historical records of the northern section thereof; and that the anniversary of said society be holden in said Providence.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That Jeremiah Lippitt be authorized and empowered to call the first meeting of the corporation, within three months from the granting of this charter, giving public notice of the same.
CONSTITUTION.
Article 1. The Rhode-Island Historical Society shall consist of resident and honorary members, the former of whom shall be resident in the State of Rhode-Island.