The Evergreen Cemetery is built on 8 acres of land, and features wrought iron fences around some family grave sites.[3] It is located near Harvey West Park.
The cemetery is divided into five sections including the Grand Army of the Republic; the Freemasons; the main section; the "evergreen extension" added in the 1940s; and the Chinese section (due to the anti-Chinese sentiment, which led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882).[3] The Chinese section of the cemetery allowed for traditional Chinese funerals featuring firecrackers, processions and a Chinese oven-onsite for food served.[1] The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History oversaw the construction of a Chinese gate in 2014, to honor those buried.[4] The Grand Army of the Republic section, was created by a fraternal organization of the American Civil War veterans honoring those who fought to end slavery and supported the Union.[1]
The land for Evergreen Cemetery was a gift from the Imus family.[7] An early burial at this cemetery was a baby named Julia Arcan, who died in Death Valley in 1850.[5] Some say the first burial was in 1858, when Harry Speel fell off a cliff at what is now called Cowell Beach.[3][7]
In 1955, there was a Christmas flood and it left the cemetery in poor shape, and over time the cemetery was with overgrown plants and toppled gravestones.[1][8] In 1973, Renie Leaman led an effort to restore the cemetery.[1]
