Dr. Samuel B. McGuire

Biography

Sam McGuire was born and raised in Sylva, North Carolina, and earned his PhD from the University of Georgia (2015). Dr. McGuire’s research focuses on the Civil War-era in southern Appalachia—especially the postwar lives of black and white veterans, commemoration and Memory, and sectional reconciliation. He has published essays on North Carolina's Kirk-Holden War of 1870 and the 1913 National Grand Army of the Republic Encampment at Chattanooga, Tennessee<i>. </i>His dissertation examines the post-Civil War lives of black and white Union veterans who were members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in East Tennessee. In particular, it explores southern Unionist memory, race relations, and community in the southern highlands.<br><br>At WCU, McGuire teaches undergraduate courses on US history, including courses on the American Civil War and American religious history. He also teaches a graduate seminar on the 19^th Century South.<br><br>Dr. McGuire lives in Sylva with his wife, Heather, and two children. He enjoys long-distance running, hiking, fly-fishing, & watching Georgia football.

Education

• Ph D, University of Georgia
• MA, University of Kentucky
• BA, Elon University

Teaching Interests

American Civil War; Appalachian History; 19th-Century South; US Religious History; NC History