CHAP. 250.—An ACT to vest the legal title to certain property in
trustees and to empower the members of Liberty Lodge, No. 95,
Free and Accepted Masons, to sell or encumber their said property.

Approved March 9, 1880.

Whereas on the second day of June, eighteen hundred and
twenty-nine, W. R. Porter, by deed recorded in the clerk’s
office of the county court of Bedford county, in deed book B,
page four hundred and nine, conveyed to Burr Garland, master ;
Mathew M. Williams, senior warden; Samuel Philips, junior
warden, and their successors in office, a certain lot of land in
the town of Liberty, to be held for the use of Liberty Lodge,
Number Ninety-five, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons—
1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
it shall be lawful for the circuit court of Bedford county, or the
judge of said court in vacation, to appoint any three persons,
who shall be designated by said lodge for that purpose as
trustees to hold the legal title to the lot of ground aforesaid ;
and as soon as such trustees shall be so appointed by said
judge or court, the legal title to said lot of ground shall vest
absolutely in such trustees and in their successors, who shall
be designated and appointed in the same manner.

2. It shall be lawful for the said trustees or their successors
to sell and convey, or encumber by deed or mortgage, the
property aforesaid in such manner as the said lodge may
authorize and direct: provided, however, that no authority or
direction to sell or encumber said property shall be valid, un-
less and until ordered by a two-thirds vote of the members of
said lodge, who shall be present at a meeting to which all the
members resident in the said county of Bedford shall have been
duly summoned for at least ten days to consider the matter of
such sale or encumbering ; and the minutes of said lodge duly
entered shall be conclusive evidence of what shall therein be
stated, touching the action of said lodge on all matters author-
ized in this act: and provided further, that the said lodge may
require of said trustees a bond or bonds with surety in such
penalty as it may prescribe, payable to the then masters and
wardens of said lodge and their successors, conditioned for the
faithful performance of their duties and accounting for any
money which shall come into their hands as such trustees ;
and any such bond may be sued upon for the use and benefit
of the said lodge for any breach of the conditions of said bond.

3. All moneys which may be obtained by any sale or other-
wise on or for said property, shall be invested or used exclu-
sively in such manner as the said lodge may, by a vote of two-
thirds of the members present, direct when all in said county
shall have been summoned to consider the matter, but no part
thereof shall be invested or expended for any other purpose
than to secure and furnish a hall and other rooms for the use
and occupation of the said masonic lodge. Such money may
be invested under the direction and authority of said lodge,
given as aforesaid, in whole or in part, either in one entire
building or any part of a building, or in shares taken and sub-
scribed under such direction in any joint stock company, so
that the same is not expended for any other purpose than to
secure permanent accommodations for said lodge: provided,
however, that all property secured by any such investment or
expenditure shall be located in the said town of Liberty.

4. This act shall be in force from its passage.