BOYLE HEIGHTS — A memorial wall was unveiled Monday in honor of poor immigrants and others whose unmarked graves were discovered here during the construction of the Gold Line Eastside Extension four years ago.

“Today reminds us that in the city of Los Angeles, history matters,” said City Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district includes Boyle Heights and who sits on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors.

In 2005, workers widening First Street to make room for the light-rail line’s east portal discovered 174 human remains buried near the south side of the Los Angeles County Crematorium adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery.

Several of the unmarked graves contained artifacts such as Chinese porcelain, opium pipes and combs, according to the MTA.

The MTA brought in an archaeologist, who said many of the dead were Chinese immigrant laborers who were denied burial in Evergreen Cemetery because of discrimination and were laid to rest in a potter’s field for paupers.

“When our construction crews found the human remains and artifacts in the forgotten potter’s field, we did the right thing,” MTA board Chairman Ara Najarian said.

“Work was immediately stopped, then we painstakingly preserved what we found and tried to find the descendants,” he added. “I am pleased that we are honoring these early laborers who helped build Los Angeles by righting an historic wrong.”

MTA’s staff has had limited success in finding the deceased’s descendants. However, they believe a young man whose grave marker indicated his name was T.E. Buzbee and who died on Feb. 1, 1883, at age 17, may have living relatives in Colorado.

The MTA eventually plans to bury the remains inside Evergreen Cemetery next to the historic Chinese shrine.

According to the MTA, cemetery officials dedicated land outside the gates as the burial ground for indigent residents and those with no known relatives.

A portion of the potter’s field was designated for Chinese burials, which were prohibited at the cemetery during that time.

In 1888, the Chinese community erected a memorial shrine, which is now a Los Angeles historic-cultural monument, according to the MTA. In 1924, the public cemetery was replaced by a crematorium built by the county. The grave markers were removed and the exact location of the potter’s field was forgotten until it was unearthed by the construction workers in 2005.

The six-mile Gold Line Eastside Extension opened in November.