A memorable interview with the late Mrs. Konstantina Kamaradou at her residence on Mayor L. Kalvokoresis Street, where the historic Kouvelas estate once stood.
This meeting carried a deeply personal dimension for me. We were bound by close family ties—her brother had married my mother’s sister—meaning our paths had crossed since my earliest childhood. Having grown up in Kampos, she lived in both the Kalvokoreseiko house and the Platis estate (formerly Mitarakiko), the very places where I, too, remember playing as a child with my cousins. These shared, indelible memories created a profound and genuine bond of trust between us.
I used to visit her often, and we would talk for hours about Kampos, its prominent families, its grand mansions, and her own childhood, back when her parents worked as caretakers on the area’s historic estates. Her testimonies offer an invaluable living memory of a Kampos that may be changing, yet remains vibrantly alive through those who remember it.
During our time together, I recorded precious insights into the history of the estate and the Kouvelas family, one of the oldest and most historic lineages of Chios. As documented in my book The Treasures of Kampos (p. 129), the so-called “Kouvelas Tower” belonged to this family, whose most illustrious member was Nikolaos Kouvelas, the first Mayor of liberated Chios following the landmark year of 1912.
A poignant story preserved in local lore recounts that upon the arrival of the Greek army on the island, Nikolaos Kouvelas rushed to welcome the liberators, exclaiming with deep emotion:
“Where have you been, my children? We have been waiting for you for 500 years!”
It is a phrase that perfectly captures the profound relief and long anticipation of freedom. Nikolaos Kouvelas rightly became known as the “Mayor of Liberation,” serving the island with dedication for nearly two decades.
This invaluable testimony, along with the rich history of the estate, was preserved thanks to the late Mrs. Konstantina Kamaradou and remains safeguarded within pages 128–131 of my book.
For more information:
Kotatis, Evangelos N. (2017), The Treasures of Kampos, “Alpha Pi” Publications, Chios.