This website is dedicated to the remarkable achievements and life of Ellwood Harvey, M.D., an underground railroad conductor and women's rights advocate. Ellwood was born in Chadd's Ford, PA in 1820 and died in Chester, PA in 1889.

Ellwood was one of the early supporters of the Female Medical College of Philadelphia, the world's first college for female doctors. Had it not been for his work, as a professor there in 1852-57, it's doubtful that the school would have survived. At one point he lectured in two different branches just to keep the school running in its infancy.

While at the college Ellwood undertook the risky mission of freeing Ann Maria Weems, a 15 year old slave, down in Unity, MD. He met her, she was dressed as a boy, in front of the White House (Franklin Pierce was the president) in DC. Posing as his buggy driver they spent two days riding north to abolitionist William Still's Philadelphia residence. After Thanksgiving Ellwood took Ann to Camden via the ferry. From there they took the train to NYC where he delivered her to Rev. Charles B. Ray's house. Ray took Ann to Lewis Tappan's house. Amos Noe took her by train over the border to the Elgin Settlement in Canada and freedom.

With the $300 reward he got from the Vigilance Society of New York Dr. Harvey purchased a paper mache dissection mannequin for the college. This story is chronicled in the books Stealing Freedom (Carbone), Free (Cary), A History of the Underground Railroad (Still) and several other places.