Land for Sylvan Cemetery was donated to the community in 1862 by early settler Daniel Lewis. The first person buried there was James Horton, who had reportedly come to the area to seek his fortune in gold but suffered an eye ailment that was leading to blindness and died at a very early age. A stone in the southeast corner of the graveyard marks his burial place. Since 1862, the cemetery has been expanded several times to 18 acres. Many of the area's earliest settlers, including the Aistons, Cavitts, Crosses, Dalys, and Van Marens, are buried there.