Located immediately north of Evergreen Cemetery, approximately three miles east of downtown, this sixteen-acre burial ground is tucked between Stony Run Parkway and Bulheller Road. The burial ground is situated on a forested plateau cut by a steep ravine.
In 1895 the Greenwood Memorial Association of Virginia purchased twelve acres adjacent to the newly established Evergreen Cemetery. Defaulting on their payments, they sold the land back to the original owners in 1896. The following year the association reformed as the East End Burial Association and acquired six acres for the burial ground, which by 1917 expanded to its current size. By the early 1930s two quarter-mile long U-shaped drives were laid out north of the ravine, perpendicular to Evergreen (now Bulheller) Road.
By the 1990s the grounds suffered from deferred stewardship and were overtaken by second generation woodland growth and invasive vines. The cemetery closed in 2002 and in 2017 the non-profit, Friends of East End Cemetery, was established to lead rehabilitation efforts. In 2017 the state鈥檚 General Assembly passed a bill that allocated funds for the upkeep of African American cemeteries, including Evergreen and East End. In 2024 the cemetery was acquired by the city.
Today, the perpendicular drives provide access to burial plots arranged in irregular rows. Individual gravesites are often enclosed with wrought iron fences or low concrete borders inlaid with tile mosaics. Select burial plots adjacent to Bulheller Road, are also framed by concrete aprons, providing protection in the absence of curbs or sidewalks. Several gravesites are adorned with small statuary, and yucca, daylilies, and periwinkle are planted throughout. On the south side of the ravine, meandering paths connect to Evergreen Cemetery under a dense canopy of oak hickory, sweetgum, and hackberry trees. While the vehicular entrance to Evergreen Cemetery is marked by white-washed concrete pillars, this primary entrance to Evergreen is unadorned.
