Any incorporated association or society maintained by and operating on behalf of the state for the preservation of historic or prehistoric sites or monuments, the exploration, examination, improvement, or preservation of such sites or monuments for educational, scientific, or memorial purposes, or the collecting of relics or artifacts therefrom and the placing of such relics or artifacts in a public museum, may acquire and hold any real estate in this state which is the site of an historic event, building, structure, canal, cemetery, monument, spring, tree, stone, or other natural or artificial object; which is the site of any historic or prehistoric mound, earth works, stone works, occupation, burial site, rock carving, inscribed rock, cache, hoarding pit, or cave or rock shelter when such cave or rock shelter can be proved to have been occupied or used by aborigines; or which is any site or area established by scientific exploration or historical record as having been occupied or created by aborigines. Such incorporated association may also acquire any property, immediately adjoining any such real estate, which is necessary for any such educational, scientific, or memorial purposes or for the accommodation of the public in visiting such historic site, object, or place, or which is essential to the carrying out of the purpose for which the park, reserve, or memorial was created. In the event that such incorporated association or society and any owner or holder of such real estate sought to be acquired by it are unable to agree upon the price to be paid for such real estate, or that such owner or holder cannot be located, such association or society may acquire such real estate in accordance with sections 163.01 to 163.22, inclusive, of the Revised Code. Such proceedings shall be instituted in the name of the state and the attorney general shall represent the state therein.

Effective Date: 01-01-1966 .