Zoe Amprazes

As her memorial states, Zoe emigrated from Trikala, Greece, a city in the mountainous region of Thessaly. She arrived in Westminster at the beginning of 1921 to join her sons Tom and Harry who had left Trikala years before. She settled into a comfortable life because both sons were doing well as local restaurant owners. Her grandson, Bill Lefteris, accompanied her on the voyage and began working in Uncle Tom’s restaurant. In this 1921 photo, Tom Amprazes appears with his mother and young nephew Bill Lefteris.

Zoe had only been in the United States about six months when she was killed in a local automobile

accident. Other members of the Amprazes and Lefteris families later joined Tom, Harry, and Bill in

the U.S. By the late 1940s, there was a thriving Greek community in Westminster with representatives from many parts of the eastern Mediterranean.

Greeks were among the earliest immigrants from southern Europe to find homes in Carroll County. Until the 20th century the county was dominated by people of German, English, Scottish, or Irish descent. In addition to running successful restaurants, the first Greek immigrants founded candy-making shops or shoe-shine businesses. Later in the century they branched out into selling

groceries and liquor. Harry’s Main Street Grille, the last Greek-owned restaurant in

Westminster, closed in 2016.

Zoe emigrated from Trikala, Greece, a city in the mountainous region of Thessaly. She arrived in Westminster at the beginning of 1921 to join her sons Tom and Harry who had left Trikala years before. She settled into a comfortable life because both sons were doing well as local restaurant owners. Her grandson, Bill Lefteris, accompanied her on the voyage and began working in Uncle Tom's restaurant. In this 1921 photo, Tom Amprazes appears with his mother and young nephew Bill Lefteris. Zoe had only been in the United States about six months when she was killed in a an automobile accident on the way to Gettysburg for a Memorial Day Celebration.