Four Towns Became the Princess City
Long before Mishawaka carried the nickname 'the Princess City,' it was an iron town. Bog-iron deposits drew settlers who founded the St. Joseph Iron Works in 1831, and within two years that works, Indiana City, and two adjoining towns had incorporated together as Mishawaka. The Princess City name comes down through local legend, tied to a Shawnee chief's daughter said to have given the town its identity.
Drainage Near the St. Joseph River
Mishawaka's older core sits close to the St. Joseph River, and homes from the Ball Band and Dodge Manufacturing era of growth were built with foundations and drainage expectations that predate modern grading standards. Basements in these neighborhoods, and in the newer additions that have filled in around Battell Park and the city's 27 parks over the decades, often need drainage and water-entry solutions matched to how close the water table sits to the surface.