November 3, 2009, 4:13 pm
As a little girl, Cathy Beeler loved playing with cap guns.
"I even
got busted by my mom for sneaking one into a little pink purse and
taking it to church when I was about 4 years old," Beeler said. "My
father condoned it all until I was about 9 or 10, when he threw them
all in the trash, insisting that I put away the boy toys and learn to
be more of a lady."
Today, Beeler is chief of Monocacy National
Battlefield's Resource Education and Visitor Services, a position that
puts her in charge of some of the world's largest guns. She's also an
expert gunpowder handler.
"I started firing cannons at Antietam
Battlefield as part of a seasonal job," Beeler said. "It became part of
my job to become certified in 19th-century small arms and artillery as
well as the storage and handling of black powder because I supervise an
interpretive program at a Civil War battlefield."
Later, Beeler's interest in the program led her to become certified in 18th-century weapons.
"The
increased knowledge allowed me to be selected as regional inspector and
as one of the National Park Service's historic weapons instructors,"
she said.
Black powder is still made and used by sportsmen and reenactors, although there are several varieties, Beeler said.
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