UNION SPRINGS - Wednesday marked the first lecture in the Frontenac Historical Society series which covered “The Burned Over District” by Lawrence Maxwell.

The story of The Burned Over District is not the story of a historic fire, but the history of evangelism, spirituality and the start of new spiritual movements in central New York during the early to mid-19th century. Some of the movements were fads that are mostly lost, but others remain with many followers today. Mormonism, the Shakers, Pentecostalism, Millerism and even spiritualism came out of this period of spiritual exploration.

The phrase “burned over” was used by Whitney Cross in a book he wrote in 1950 about the over-evangelization of central New York. Quoting from the back cover, “The wooded hills and the valleys of western New York were swept by fires of the spirit. The fervent religiosity of the region caused historians to call it 'the burned-over district.'”

Maxwell, a very animated man of 82 years, has only lived in the Union Springs area for the past eight years.

“I was born in England,” he said. “Dad and I crossed the ocean on the Queen Mary in 1936. It was only a few months old then. I became the editor of a junior high Sunday school magazine called Guide. This was in Washington, DC.”

Then he moved to California “to edit the Signs of the Times. He also found time to become an ordained Seventh Day Adventist minister.

Maxwell's father, Arthur, forged a literary career of his own. He wrote a 10-volume series of books called “The Bible Story,” which could be found in doctor and dentist offices across the country in the 1950s and '60s, which led to sales into many homes.

“My father's books sold millions of copies around the world in several languages,” Maxwell said. “He also wrote 'Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories' - one a year. I think there were 48 of them altogether.”

After being introduced to the audience by Pat Kimber, the president of the historical society, Maxwell said he felt like he was “bringing coal to Newcastle. Most of you here probably know more about the burned out district than I do,” which brought a few laughs and set the tone for Maxwell's presentation.

“From 1825-1850 there was a lot of religious excitement in the area between Rome and Rochester, NY,” Maxwell said. “People who had religious thoughts or ideas were free to try them. So many ideas were able to spread, because for the first time, there was a country that did not have either a king or a queen, someone who ruled based on their own particular religion. When a church is connected to a government, there is persecution.”

As Maxwell talked about various pastors and religious movements from the Puritans to the Presbyterians, he fell very comfortably into the role of experienced preacher who talked as if he were entertaining guests in his home rather than being the guest speaker at an event. Voicing an observation he had made from his study of the history of the development of religious movements, he said, “A lot of ministers fail because they don't spend enough time with their congregation.”