THE GREEK STATE 

When Thessaly was liberated and annexed to Greece in 1881, Messenikolas, with its 961 inhabitants being more populous than the other villages of the area, became the seat of the Nevropolis Municipality. This included the following villages: Vounessi (Morfovouni), Kerassia, Stougo (Kryoneri), Bezoula, Sermeniko (Fylakti), Neochori, Portitsa, Agios Georgios, Blasdo (Moschato) and the Holy Monastery of Fresh Spring (Corona).

After the unfortunate Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Turks recaptured the Thessalian Plain. Therefore, Messenikolas hosted the Greek political and military authorities of Karditsa as well as the Division of the Greek Army stationed at Trikala.

While the defeated Greek Army retreated, the state was unable to control the situation. Taking advantage of this state of dissolution, a group of convicts managed to escape from the prison of Chalkida. These fugitives raided the nearby village of Vounessi (Morfovouni), where they settled and set off raiding other villages,as well. On may 23, 1897, these bandits also attempted to raid Messenikolas, where apart from the indigenous population, there were refugees from Karditsa. The raiders were repelled but in the clash an aged woman was killed and three refugees were wounded. However, after a couple of days, the bandits attacked the village anew, which resulted in a day long battle in the north boundaries of the village. In the afternoon hours, the raiders had to withdraw empty handed after their leader was killed.

After 1924, the hero of Asia Minor, General and afterwards Prime Minister Nikolaos Plastiras – coming from nearby Vounessi (Morfovouni) – settled and lived at Messenikolas for a considerable length of time.

The Messenikolitans have always taken part as freedom fighters and paid a heavy toll to the cause of freedom and independence of their country. Several have sacrificed their lives in the war for the freedom of Macedonia. The Balkan Wars, the World War I and the consequent defeat of the Greek Army in Asia Minor in 1922 took the heavy toll of thirty Messenikolitans. 

During the Greco-Italian War, on the Albanian mountains, a volunteer army captain and two other Messenikolitans fell heroically on the battlefield on 12 Nov 1940.

During the Nazi Occupation, the inhabitants of Messenikolas along with other people from the adjacent villages took an active part in the Resistance against Fascism and Nazism. The guerillas wreaked havoc in the German and Italian Forces. In retaliation in June 1943 the Italian Fascists raided the area and burnt down the villages of the area. The conquerors also killed the priest of Messenikolas and eleven more non-combatants. Six months later the village suffered a German raid. The Nazis this time killed twelve villagers and burnt down the village. After the liberation in 1944, unfortunately destruction and devastations went on during the internecine war between nationalists and socialists, when twenty-eight Messenikolitans of both sides lost their lives.

During this period the army evacuated all the residents of the village and moved them to the nearby town of Metropolis. This compulsory evacuation that coincided with the infection of the vine crops from diseases, as well as the tendency of urbanization that followed reduced the population not only of Messenikolas but of the other villages, as well.