Under the direction of the Malad City Council, Mayor Joan Hawkins, the Malad City Crew, and members of the Oneida Pioneer Museum Board, the J.N. Ireland family outhouse was installed next to the Malad Co-op on Thursday, June 13, in what will become a park and parking lot in downtown Malad. Facing Bannock Street, the outhouse is across from the Oneida Pioneer Museum and the
Ireland Bank.

Joseph Nathaniel Ireland, one of the founders of J.N. Ireland Bank (now Ireland Bank) built one of the largest homes in Malad in the 1890s. The mansion was on Depot Road and was a landmark in that area of town. 

Prior to indoor plumbing, outhouses were behind every home. Most outhouses were built with rustic wood covering only the outside walls. This deluxe “two-seater” featured pine tongue-and-groove planks inside and out. After the Irelands left Malad, wood from their home was used for other structures. 

The Moss family preserved the remnants of the outhouse until they donated it to the Museum for restoration and relocation. The outhouse was restored by Bill Lewis with assistance from Luke Waldron. The Ireland family brand can be seen on the outhouse.

The outhouse is preserved as a landmark and is not usable, of course. The building is staked down to the ground, and the seats cannot be raised. A plaque prepared by the Historical Marker Committee of the Oneida Pioneer Museum has been attached to the outhouse, telling of its historical significance. City officials and the Museum Board recognize the importance of the outhouse as a symbol of pioneer life in Malad Valley and hope that people will treat this unusal building as an historic site.