H I S T O R Y

The Evrytanian Association came to fruition during 1944 in Charlotte , North Carolina to assist several fellow Evrytanians still living in their homeland.  The founding fathers included:

Additional founding members include:

The newly formed Association provided assistance through the Greek War Relief, Red Cross, and directly by the construction of the Hospital in Karpenisi. 

Many Evrytanians immigrated to America following other Greeks during the 1890's.  Most settled in large northern cities such as New York , Philadelphia , and Baltimore ; a few settled in the South.  Many of these immigrants suffered humiliations due to language, cultural, and religious differences.  Many of the original immigrant Evrytanians came to America from the village of Viniani .

Despite difficulties first  encountered by the immigrants of the 1890's, the decade between 1910 and 1920 proved profitable for many Evrytanians living in the Carolinas, Georgia , Maryland , and Virginia .  Most were owners of restaurants.

After 1925, a new era began in the South, with many well-established Evrytanians gaining the respect and friendship of their communities.  Many returned to Greece at the beginning of the Great Depression, while others remained in America .  After WW II, in which the state of Evrytania suffered more than other areas with the Nazi occupation and the communist-inspired guerilla warfare that followed, many persons left Evrytania; many returned to America and many others came for the first time.

The lives of many fellow Evrytanians has improved over the past century in America .  While such assimilation into the "melting pot" has proved profitable, there are costs.  One large cost is the loss of being able to read the original literature.  One way to share this knowledge is by translating many of the literary works into English, a language that has become primary for many of our youth.  Professor Paul N. Chryssikos, a long-time, and deceased in 1997, member of our Association, often donated his time to this excellent cause.  One of Paul's translations which he performed for the Youth of Evrytania, is the poem by Mihalis Stafylas "EVRYTANIA".  This is available from all local chapters.