Meet Margaret
In 2012, fresh out of Savannah College of Art and Design Historic Preservation graduate program, Margaret Canilang started her journey at Congressional Cemetery, but her love for cemeteries was already well-developed. She was fascinated with the conservation science in her classes, particularly the properties and characteristics of stone. Even more specifically, slate. And what better place to observe stone than in a cemetery? She was so enthralled, she wrote her Master’s thesis, “The Cemetery as a Cultural Institution: Reforming Preservation Initiatives in Garden Cemeteries through Management, Conservation, Outreach, and Protection.“ A very long paper recommending the implementation of museum practices to care for cemeteries. When she first started at the cemetery, she managed tasks associated with an active cemetery – funerals, site sales – and helped with conservation any chance she was able. When the Director of Conservation position opened in 2019, she jumped at the opportunity to conserve the site’s memorials.
