Its name was a combination of the names of Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, who were ordained the first two Methodist bishops in America at the meeting held on Christmas Day, 1784 at which it was also decided to found the college.
Due to the heavy turnover in both teachers and presidents, Francis Asbury's constant work on finding new people to fill these positions was key to the college continuing to operate.
Among the professors at the college was Charles Tait, who later was a U.S. senator from Georgia and a federal judge.
It was built on land purchased in 1782 from John Paca, the brother of the governor of Maryland.
In July 2009 Cokesbury Memorial United Methodist Church welcomed its first full-time Pastor, Frankie Allen Revell.