America's first Methodist college, founded 1787 and destroyed by fire in 1796.
Cokesbury College was established in 1787 as the first Methodist college in the United States. It was named after Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, the first two Methodist bishops ordained in America at the Christmas Conference of 1784. The college opened in Abingdon, Maryland, with Mr. Heath as its first president, three instructors, and 25 students. The institution received a charter from the state of Maryland in 1794.
The college experienced significant turnover in both faculty and leadership, with Jacob Hall appointed as the third president by September 1788. Francis Asbury played a crucial role in recruiting and retaining staff. Notable faculty included Charles Tait, who later became a U.S. senator from Georgia and federal judge. The college operated for nine years before its closure.
The college building in Abingdon burned on December 4, 1795. A replacement building was obtained in Baltimore, but it too burned on December 4, 1796, leading to the college's permanent closure. The Abingdon Methodist Chapel, which served as the college's chapel, survived and continues as Cokesbury United Methodist Church, built on land purchased in 1782 from John Paca, brother of Maryland's governor.