Graves Chapel is representative of the simple houses of worship erected in the Page County area during the middle decades of the 19th century. It was built in 1856 to serve a Methodist congregation formed by community leader Paschal Graves, a large land and slave owner in Page County and a significant force behind the construction of the Blue Ridge Turnpike. The original Graves Chapel building was extended circa 1870 by a front addition with Gothic Revival characteristics such as the pointed arch windows. Nearby the chapel is a cemetery established in 1860 that features many decoratively carved tombstones, and a circa-1893 parsonage of simple Victorian character. The chapel, which is still used today for special occasions, and cemetery are located in the historic community of Marksville, now part of the town of Stanley.