This page provides the text of the current Constitution of the CHS, and its By-laws.
Additional documents will be added that are
relevent to the formation and operation of the CHS.
Constitution
Article
I
Name
The
name of the organization shall be the Charlestown Historical Society.
Article
II
Object
The
object of the organization shall be the gathering and recording of
the history of
Article
III
Section
1
Membership
Application
for membership must be made in writing on a form approved by
the Board of Directors. The application must be accompanied by the
appropriate
dues. The application shall be approved by the Board of Directors.
Section
2.
Classes
of membership
There
shall be two classes of membership in the society: Life and Annual.
Section
3.
Dues
Dues
shall be set by the Board of Directors. Annual dues shall be due on
January l of the membership year.
Article
IV
Officers
The
officers of the Society shall consist of a president, three
vice-presidents, recording secretary, correspondence secretary,
treasurer,
historian, curator, seven other officers, who shall be know as
directors, and
all past presidents of the Society. These Society officers shall
constitute a
Board of Directors.
Article
V
This
Constitution may be amended, altered or changed at any meeting of
the Society by a two-thirds vote of eligible member present,
provided the
proposed amendment have been presented at the previous meeting of the
Society,
and notice of the proposed amendment has been furnished in writing to
all
members at least ten days prior to the meeting at which the amendment
will be
acted upon.
By-laws
Article
I
Meetings
There
shall be a general meeting of the membership during each quarter of
the year. The election of officers shall be held at the meeting held in
the
second quarter. The date and place of meetings shall be determined by
the
President with the approval of the Board of Directors. The Board of
Directors
shall meet monthly. Meetings may be canceled by a vote of the Board of
Directors.
Article
II
Quorum
At
meetings of the Society fifteen members shall constitute quorum
requisite for the transaction of business.
At
meetings of the Board of Directors, upon reasonable notice by the
Correspondence Secretary, a majority of elected members shall
constitute a
quorum.
Article
III
Duties
of Officers
The
president shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and
general meeting of the membership. The president shall appoint all
committees
and the chairmen thereof unless otherwise provided by this constitution
or
bylaws.
The
vice-presidents shall assist the president in the management of the
affairs of the Society and of the Museum. In the absence of the
President, a
vice-president will preside at Board of Directors and general meetings.
The
Recording Secretary shall keep a record of meetings of the Society
and of the Board of Directors.
The
Correspondence Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the
Society.
The
Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the Society and
shall sign all checks disbursing the funds of the Society. The
Treasurer shall
make reports upon the condition of the treasury when called for by the
President. The Treasurer shall file any financial reports required by
the
Federal or State governments. He or she shall perform such other duties
as are
usually incident to the office. The Board of Directors may require that
the
Treasurer give a bond from an approved surety company and such amounts
as the
Board may determine. The premium on said bond shall be paid by the
Society.
The
Historian shall be responsible for the compiling of a complete
historical record of the Society and shall be concerned with the
research and
recording of the history of
The
Curator shall, under the direction of the Board of Directors, have
custody of artifacts, relics books, pamphlets, maps and other items of
importance to
The
seven directors will assist in the affairs of the
Society.
Article
IV
The
fiscal year of the Society shall be from the first day of January to
the thirtieth day of December
Article
V
This
By-laws may be amended, altered or changed at any meeting of the
Society by a two-thirds vote of eligible member present, provided the
proposed
amendment have been presented at the previous meeting of the Society,
and
notice of the proposed amendment has been furnished in writing to all
members
at least ten days prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be
acted
upon.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Articles
of
Organization [1]:
The
purposes for which
the corporation is formed are as follows: To
foster and
promote interest in the historical heritage of Charlestown; to
disseminate information
to the public concerning historical sites, landmarks, artifacts, and
events
relative to said historical heritage; to receive funds, donations,
gifts and
grants and to expend the same for the purpose of conservation,
restoration, or
disposition of landmarks, sites, artifacts, and events relative to said
heritage; to analyze, study and make determinations relative to the
conservation of said heritage and to set up or establish
investigations,
studies or research for the furtherance and clarification and discovery
of
matters pertinent to the historical heritage of Charlestown; to
purchase or
otherwise acquire interest in property, either real, personal, or
intangible,
for the restoration or preservation of said heritage; to sell or
mortgage said
property for the benefit of the promotion of said heritage on such
terms as
shell be deemed best by the Directors of this Corporation.
Charlestown Historical Society • Offices, Top Floor, Bunker Hill Museum • PO Box 291776
• Email editor@charlestownhistoricalsociety.org • tel-617-241-2201
