09/11/2019
Soleil Lowell
By Robert Mills
In 1890, there were fewer than 100 Greeks living in the town of Lowell, but just 35 years later, Lowell was home to the third largest Greek population in America, behind New York and Chicago, according to Wael Kamal, assistant dean. from the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at UMass Lowell.
Most of these first-generation Greeks came here fleeing wars and economic crisis, seeking economic opportunity, according to a new exhibit at University Crossing, “Acropolis of America: Lowell’s Greek Community 1874 – 2020 “.
“They dreamed of upward mobility, social mobility and an environment of equal opportunities,” Greek Consul General Stratos Efthymiou said at the exhibition unveiling. “The Greeks of Lowell have indeed achieved their American dream, earning their place in the American mosaic not by chance, but through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work. »
Lowell’s Greek businesses grew almost as quickly as the community itself, according to the exhibit. By 1900, Greeks owned 19 businesses in Lowell. By 1920, they owned 232 businesses, including 15 barbershops, 28 cafes, 26 fruit stores and 33 grocery stores.
And of course, the Demoulas family were among the grocery store owners and often helped provide transportation to seaside community picnics hosted by the Greek community before their grocery store grew into a giant chain.
Image by Lowell Sun
People browse exhibits at the “Acropolis of America: The Greek Community of Lowell 1874 – 2020” exhibit in UMass Lowell’s University Crossing building Thursday evening in Lowell.
The size of the community made Lowell the first city in the northeastern United States to house a Greek consulate, as well as the first Orthodox day school and a Byzantine Greek building.
And since then, the community’s influence has only grown.
The exhibit includes information about Lowell leaders, such as the late George Tsapatsaris, who died in 2017 after serving in the Korean War and later being one of the longest-serving superintendents in Lowell Public Schools history.
Many Greeks have also entered politics, foremost among them the late Paul Tsongas, who served as a congressman and senator before running for president in 1992. His wife, Niki Tsongas, later also served as a congressman.
Dr. Paul Panagiotakos, elected to the Lowell School Committee in 1943, was among the first Greeks to hold public office. And George Eliades became the first Greek mayor in the United States when he became mayor of Lowell in 1951, according to the exhibit.
Robert Forrant, distinguished professor of history at UMass Lowell, said much of the exhibit came from collections of stories and photographs provided by Nicholas Karas and the late UMass Lowell psychology professor , Charles Nikitopoulos. The exhibition is in memory of Nikitopoulos.
His daughter, Christina Nikitopoulous, said the community meant everything to her father.
“He was a community psychologist who saw the importance of connecting the community to the city of Lowell,” she said.
Forrant said the Greek community has contributed immensely to Lowell’s culture, even as it has progressed by valuing hard work and education. Forrant said men and women in Greek families would work to make ends meet, even decades ago.
“A lot of Greek women would work 8 to 10 hours at the Merrimack plant and then go home and do what they had to do when they got home,” Forrant said.
While the women worked, neighbors and other community members helped prepare the children for school.
“The strength of the community was really, really powerful,” Forrant said.
The exhibit will be on display on the second floor of UMass Lowell’s University Crossing building, at Pawtucket and Merrimack streets, through mid-December. Forrant said once the exhibit is complete, it can be displayed in schools or churches and anyone interested in hosting it should contact the UMass Lowell history department.
