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Firefighters say lightning sparked a fire Monday night that heavily damaged a historic farmhouse in York County.

The fire started around 9 p.m. at the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education in the 4900 block of Horn Road in Hellam Township.

The farmhouse dates back to the 1800s.

"I think the loss for now is the history here. We seek to preserve the history of this property in the things that we do, not only with the buildings on the property but also through the farming and the agriculture that we do here," said Alexis Campbell, the executive director at the Horn Farm Center.

Campbell said in a Facebook post that the center's most important files, paperwork, archives, framed photos and maps were salvaged, but the second and third floors were destroyed.

"In the coming days we will be taking stock and determining our next steps," she wrote.

The property is owned by the county but leased to a nonprofit that operates the facility.

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