The Pleasant Valley Cemetery came into being because of a church located at the site. In 1885, before the Cemetery, the Presbyterian Church of Pleasant Valley was established. James E. Huston gave one acre of the one and one half acres of the land to the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church. His wife, JoAnne, passed away in 1887 and thus the Cemetery came to be.

Some called it the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Burying Ground. Records tell of the church being organized in 1885, the deed in 1886 and the building burning down in 1894. A new church was built in 1897 but not at the same location. The new church was about a mile east in the town of Estrella, north across the road on a small hill. A 1928 biography of Fred King, son of the first pastor of the P.V. Presbyterian Church tells us, “The only vestige of the early Estrella Presbyterian Church now is the Pleasant Valley Cemetery.” The Cemetery continues on to this day serving residents and families of this area as it has since its beginning 137 years ago. From the start there was no charge for plots. Sometime during the 1920’s, the church building, located in Estrella was bought by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Methodists moved the short distance from their church in the town of Estrella up to the Presbyterian Church and it was use by them until 1938.

Much of the history of the Cemetery is lost to antiquity. To our knowledge, there are no old records. By error in 1974, the County of San Luis Obispo sold the land as a tax delinquent property. That sale was rescinded. From this happening, the Cemetery District obtained a Quitclaim deed from the Corporate Presbytery of Santa Barbara to the Estrella Public Cemetery District. Upon a search of County records, the original deed from James E. Huston and William Kendrick to the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church was discovered. Nothing is known of care during the church period prior to 1940. In 1940, San Luis Obispo County formed the Estrella Cemetery District. The initial board consisted of three members: J.T. Tuley, Don Stewart and Kenneth Sinclair.

There is no further history until April of 2016 when new Board Members were appointed. On August 9, 2016, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved the request to change the name of the Cemetery District from Estrella Cemetery District to Pleasant Valley Estrella Cemetery District. Further research shows the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approving the request by the Pleasant Valley Estrella Cemetery District to go from 3 members to 5 members at their board meeting December 4, 2018.

Pleasant Valley Cemetery averages two to three burials per year. As previously stated, from the beginning there was never a charge for plots. Beginning in 2017, the Board began charging for the plots and an endowment fee.