Attend An Event

Spark! Places of Innovation Exhibition in Equality, IL

Visit the exhibition from June 17 through July 22, 2023.

Salt kettle from Great Salt Spring

Exhibition Hours and Location:

Fridays: 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. CST
Saturdays: 12:00 – 7:00 p.m. CST
Sundays: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. CST

Ohio River Visitors Center, 101 West Lane Street, Equality, IL

To schedule a tour of the exhibition during regular and off hours, please contact Mark and Nadine York at (618) 499-3801.

The salt springs of this region have been recognized as a valuable natural resource for hundreds of years and have been used by both the wildlife and the people that have inhabited the area.

The Spark! exhibition and local lecture series explore the innovations in and history of salt production of the Gallatin Salines.

Visitors can enjoy the exhibition, learn about the region, and stop by the Red Onion for a meal — fried chicken Thursdays.

Local Lecture Series

Crenshaw House on Hickory Hill

“Legends and Lore of the Gallatin Salines & the Crenshaw House” – June 18, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.

“Archeological Investigations in the Gallatin Salines & the Crenshaw House” – June 25, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.

“Native Americans and Salt Springs in Gallatin County” – July 9, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.

“Did Black Lives Matter in Early Illinois? Voices from the Brink of Slavery and Freedom” – July 16, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.

About the Exhibition

Spark! Places of Innovation, part of Illinois Humanities’ Museum on Main Street program, highlights innovation in rural America from the perspectives of people who have lived it. Their words, images, and experiences, gathered through an ambitious crowdsourcing initiative, are the heartbeat of the exhibition. The communities featured in Spark! – including seven small towns in Illinois – have enhanced their vitality through innovations in fields such as technology, agriculture, economic development, education, and the arts. Explore the diversity, ingenuity, and tenacity of rural Americans in Spark! Places of Innovation. Learn more.

This exhibition and lecture series are hosted by the Gallatin County Tourism Committee. For more information, visit facebook.com/276ArtExchange or call (618) 499-3801.

Spark! Places on Innovation is presented in partnership with the Gallatin County Tourism Committee, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, and Illinois Humanities.

*Featured Image: Saline River scenic view