Burned-over district

[3][4] Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875) popularized the term: his posthumous 1876 book Autobiography of Charles G. Finney referred to a "burnt district" to denote an area in central and western New York State during the Second Awakening: I found that region of country what, in the western phrase, would be called, a "burnt district."

It was reported as having been a very extravagant excitement; and resulted in a reaction so extensive and profound, as to leave the impression on many minds that religion was a mere delusion.

[4][5] Subsequent study in the last quarter of the twentieth century re-assessed the extent to which religious fervor actually affected the region.

[6] More recent works have argued that these revivals in Western New York had a unique and lasting impact upon the religious and social life of the entire nation.

[7][8][9] Western New York was still an American frontier during the early Erie Canal boom, and professional and established clergy were scarce.