SANFORD — Vandals have broken into the Goodall Mansion for the third time since August.



The break-in, which occurred sometime over the weekend of Oct. 5 — 6, resulted in significant damage, as some of the historic mansion’s original features were destroyed.



Police said the vandals broke a bulkhead door to gain entrance to the mansion.



Joseph Doiron, who heads up the Goodall Mansion Society, discovered the break-in during one of his regular walks around the property and reported it to police.



Doiron inspected the building with a police officer and said the perpetrators had broken the etched-glass panel on the front door, had smashed holes in the wall of the mansion’s stairway, and had smashed all the remaining light bulbs and light fixtures on the second floor. An etched-glass panel on a closet door on the second floor was also broken, he said.



“There was glass all over the floors,” Doiron said during a phone interview on Wednesday.



He said the damage to the stairway wall was significant because the original wall covering was further damaged. The stairway walls were covered with a heavy decorative cloth that was popular during the early part of the 20th century. The mansion was built in 1871.

The etched windows would also be very expensive to replace, Doiron said.



He said he is still waiting for an estimate on the damages. The police have estimated the damage at about $11,000, but it could cost significantly more to replace the damaged original features.



The mansion was vandalized twice in August. Both times, the perpetrators broke in by prying open a window on the back porch of the building. They pulled back a strip of wallcovering, opened nearly all the windows, including the windows of the cupola, and left all but one of the doors unlocked.



Last spring, the antique weather vane was stolen from the peak of the cupola. Doiron estimated that it would cost $7,000 to replace it.



Deputy Chief Timothy Strout, of the Sanford Police Department, said the incident is under investigation and that it is “a very active investigation.” Strout said there is no indication that the recent incident is related to the previous two break-ins, but added that it wouldn’t surprise him if they were related.

The mansion is currently owned by Deutsche Bank, which is expected to select a broker to sell the property. When that happens, the Goodall Mansion Society hopes to make an offer on the building in order to purchase and preserve it.



Doiron said a representative from the National Trust for Historic Preservation was expected to visit Sanford Wednesday afternoon to inspect the damage, and that members of the Goodall Mansion Society planned to meet with her during her visit.