When J.A. Wayland moved the socialist newspaper The Appeal to Reason to Girard in 1897 it became the largest circulated weekly paper in the world, and it set the stage for Girard to become an integral part of U.S. socialism. The post office was built in 1918 to handle the huge volume of mail created by the popularity of Wayland's newspaper. About 75,000 copies of it were mailed out every week during 1919. Learn more by visiting the Girard History Museum.