Important Dates in the Life of Cokesbury
Cokesbury was the First Congregation to Organize
in Onancock after the Revolution

1784 – Methodist Circuit riders began to come to the Onancock area and preach in the homes of Onancock’s first Methodists.  William Seymour’s home on Onancock Creek, Wesley, was a favorite meeting place for people in town, as well as for those living close by.

1788 – Bishop Francis Asbury, who with Bishop Thomas Coke organized the Methodist Church in America, visited Seymour and preached in the schoolhouse in Onancock.

1822 – After Seymour’s death in 1821, the Methodists moved their meeting place to an old mill in Onancock.

1854 – Cokesbury Methodist Church, named for Bishops Coke and Asbury, was built on the present site.

1864 – Cokesbury closed during part of the Civil War.

1865 – At the end of the war, Cokesbury reopened as a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church North.

1893 – Stained glass memorial windows were installed by the Philadelphia firm of Alfred Godwin.  Frederick Wilson, Godwin’s art director in 1893, became art director of the world-famous Tiffany Studio in 1894.  Godwin’s studio evolved into the present-day Willet Art Glass Studio.  Also in 1893, the steeple was added and the balcony removed.

1968 – Methodist and United Brethren Churches merged into one denomination, the United Methodist Church.

1996 – Cokesbury’s services were discontinued when its few members could no longer operate the church.

2000 – Revitalization by Market Street UMC began with special worship services and coffeehouse gatherings for youth.

2001 – Physical renovation started in June 2001 when the Cokesbury property was conveyed to Market Street UMC by the Virginia Annual Conference.

2004 – Cokesbury Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

2006 – Renovation/revitalization continues.