Effective - 28 Aug 1939
352.040. Historical, library, museum and scientific associations may incorporate as charitable trusts — property perpetually dedicated — members — endowment funds. — 1. Any association or society formed for educational purposes as classified in section 352.020, and as herein limited, located in any city or town, may elect to provide in its articles of agreement by incorporating this section in such articles, and in other respects conforming them thereto, that such corporation shall be, in all that relates to its property and all such as it may acquire, a quasi-trustee for the public, and as such may receive and take by deed or devise in its corporate capacity, any property, real and personal, in trust for the uses and purposes for which such corporation was formed, and execute any trust so created; provided, that this section shall apply only, and it is hereby expressly limited, to such association or society as may be formed for the purpose of promoting historical studies or natural science, of establishing a museum, library or an art gallery, such educational and scientific purposes being chiefly for the advantage of the public where such corporation is located; and provided furthermore, that no corporation in whose charter is incorporated this section shall be permitted to amend such charter or to take advantage or avail itself of any change in the general law, in such way as to affect this section, and such charter shall be taken as a perpetual contract between such corporation and the public.
2. It shall not be lawful for such corporation to create or contract any debt or pecuniary obligation in the nature of a debt; and any attempt to create or contract any such debt or obligation shall be, ipso facto, void. Nor shall any such corporation mortgage, or deed in trust, any of its property, or sell any such property, except by way of exchange for property of equal value, or for reinvestment.
3. If any such corporation dissolve, its property shall be vested in the city or town in which such corporation is located, to be taken and held for the benefit of the people of such city or town, to the same purposes, uses and trusts as such property was held by such corporation.
4. Membership in such corporation shall be open to the public, under such reasonable rules and regulations as the corporation may prescribe in its bylaws.
5. Every such corporation shall create and maintain an endowment fund, to remain perpetually intact, that means may thereby be provided for the stability and support of the corporation; and to this end all moneys voluntarily contributed as life membership, and by persons not residents of the locality where such corporation is located, who desire to be registered as members, and one-fourth of the current subscriptions from memberships, shall be set apart, until the moneys derived from these sources, together with such as lawfully come into such endowment fund from other sources, shall amount in the aggregate to at least two hundred thousand dollars. Such endowment fund may be invested in bonds of the United States, or of this state, or of the city or county in which the corporation is located, or in loans secured by mortgage on improved real estate situated in this state, but shall not be invested in securities or stock of any private trading or manufacturing corporation, or of any railroad company, or on any personal security, and the principal thereof shall not be encroached upon or expended by such corporation for any purpose.
6. The museum, gallery and cabinets of such corporation shall be open to the public of this state, under such reasonable regulations as may from time to time be prescribed, and the contents of such museum, gallery or cabinets, or any portion thereof, shall not be loaned or taken out for exhibition or other purpose, on any pretext whatever.
7. Any existing corporation formed for purposes within the purview of this section, and whose charter is in harmony therewith, shall be empowered to adopt the same as an amendment to such charter, under the provisions of section 352.070.
--------
(RSMo 1939 § 5447)
Prior revisions: 1929 § 5006; 1919 § 10274; 1909 § 3442