From Iron Works to Princess City
Mishawaka's downtown got its present shape twice over. The settlement began with bog-iron mining in the early 1830s -- the St. Joseph Iron Works, platted in 1831, quickly grew a blast furnace, a general store, and a tavern -- and by 1833 that works had merged with Indiana City and two neighboring towns to form Mishawaka itself. Locals still call it the Princess City, after the local legend of a Shawnee chief's daughter for whom the town is said to be named.
Matching Original Sash Near Battell Park
The industrial boom that followed Mishawaka's 1872 rebuild left a wide band of housing from the Ball Band and Dodge Manufacturing era, much of it built with the narrow, tall double-hung sash openings typical of the period. A window replacement in one of these homes has to respect that original opening size and trim profile -- especially near Battell Park and the older blocks close to downtown -- rather than force a modern stock size into a century-old frame.