Fire extinguisher spray was just the beginning of the damages discovered at the Plymouth County Historical Museum this week after an unknown person or group broke in.

Museum administrator Judy Bowman said staff found a trail broken lightbulbs and a few smashed artifacts on Monday and Tuesday, including a model of the Plymouth County Fairgrounds, which had been made by a student out of popsicle sticks and later donated to the museum.

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The break-in didn't alert the new security system, which had been purchased and installed after a break-in last September. Vandals then sprayed fire extinguisher powder on museum archives.

This time, all of the damages seem to be located in the museum's agricultural storage area in the basement. However, the cash donation box near the main entry was also emptied.

"That was our first clue that there was a break in -- Mary Holub asked me if I'd emptied the donation box, and I hadn't," Bowman said.

Video footage from a security camera aimed at the donation box area is currently being reviewed, she said.

The Le Mars police began their investigation Tuesday.

"The only thing that indicates that it might be more than one person is that they moved a heavy typeset table in front of a door," Officer Dennis Folkema said.

Total damages may amount to around $100, Bowman said, but she's more frustrated at the fact that vandals could break in after the locks were changed and the security system added.

"Is there a hole in this building that we don't know about?" she asked. "We don't know where they came in yet."

The emptied fire extinguisher was discovered on a roof over a northeast door on the museum.

Police investigation is ongoing.