In With Our Past: Essays on the History of Mishawaka, local historian Peter J. De Kever invites readers to meet important people from the community's past, to revisit historic sites in the Princess City, and to relive events that shaped the lives of Mishawakans. In twenty essays on people, places, and events from Mishawaka's rich history, De Kever brings to life again subjects that have often been overlooked or even completely forgotten through the years.

Today, the uniqueness of Mishawaka and many cities and towns is under siege by the homogenizing forces of twenty-first century society and technology. De Kever offers an opportunity to rediscover what makes the Princess City, in the words of Mishawaka historian Vincent Brunner, "a distinct and separate community with its own inspiration."