The Legend Of The Green Man, Raymond Robinson (2024)

Have you heard stories about "The Green Man" of Pennsylvania? The guy called Raymond Robinson, who doesn't have a regular face and walks on the highways at night? There are various rumors about the reason behind his face being the way it is. Maybe he fell into acid or removed his own face.

It could have been struck by lightning while fishing, or maybe he was electrocuted by power lines. It would depend on who you ask the reason. But the reality is something else, and only a limited number of people know about it.

Raymond Robinson is called "The Green Man" or "Charlie-No-Face," but his legend started from a young age. In reality, "The Green Man" Raymond Robinson was not green at all. His face was burned off in childhood. He lived the life he could have lived best while taking walks through western Pennsylvania.

Here's more about him to acquaint you with his true story.

Who Was Raymond Robinson?

Raymond Theodore Robinson, born on October 29, 1910, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, was a disfigured man whose night walks made him an urban legend in Western Pennsylvania. Raymond Robinson got his face disfigured when he severely injured himself during an electrical accident in his childhood.

After this incident, he could not show himself in public for fear of creating a panic. So, he preferred going for nighttime walks. Local tourists used to drive on the roads at night in the hope of spotting the Green Man or Charlie-No-Face.

They even spread tales about him to their children and grandchildren. People were raised hearing such stories, and they were surprised when they saw that it was, in fact, a real person who was loved by his family and the people of his neighborhood.

Robinson Burned His Face As A Boy

Raymond Robinson was a regular boy for the first nine years until he suffered a severe accident. He used to play with his friends and loved to roam in the fields and streams behind his parents' house. On June 18, 1919, he met with an accident that changed his life.

On that day, Robinson and his friends were supposed to play at the Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler, and New Castle Railway Co. bridge for the Wallace Run. The bridge carried tremendous amounts of electricity and wasn't meant for kids to play.

Tragic as it is, Robinson was injured by one of its electrical lines while climbing a pole. He survived despite such a grim projection but at a cost. His face was destroyed. His entire life from then on was to be led without eyes, nose, or even his right arm.

Usually, people would simply give up living such a life. But Robinson did not let his injuries bring him down to solitude.

Robinson's Adult Life

Raymond Robinson spent his adulthood in Koppel with his relatives, making doormats, belts, and wallets that sold well. But because of his appearance, he preferred to stay indoors and went for long walks on a quiet stretch of State Route 351 using a walking stick.

Local tourists used to come out at night hoping they'd see the Green Man. Robinson usually hid from his curious neighbors. Still, sometimes some kind of people exchange a short conversation, a beer or two, and cigarettes with Robinson. While some people were friendly, many were cruel to him.

But none of his cruel encounters deterred him from taking the long walks at night. But towards the end of his life, he retired from those long nighttime walks and stayed at Beaver County Geriatric Center till he took his last breath in 1985 at 74.

Robinson's Legacy

The myth of Raymond Robinson started in the Pittsburgh area, and the urban legend masked his real story. The tale popularized him as the Green Man who was an employee of the power company. This took many versions, and the story kept popping up.

People spread rumors about the Green Man being downed by a power line, being a fisherman struck by lightning, after which he either died or hid in some abandoned home. The disfigurement that Robinson suffered in reality, the legend took it to other levels by adding that he had an open hole in one cheek and glowing green skin. That was not at all true!

The Green Man was reported to haunt many rail tunnels in Western Pennsylvania. Travelers were warned that he was attracted to cars that stopped and extinguished their lights. This made the disfigured ghost touch those vehicles and disable the cars using the electricity he carried in his body and trapped the people in the tunnel.

Over generations, the legend of Raymond Robinson's story was passed on so much that his reality was obscured by the ghost stories growing out of it.

Raymond Robinson Dealt With Cruelty, But He Was A Kind Man

Robinson was often treated nastily by people. Some even picked him up in cars and dropped him in abandoned areas he did not even recognize. Additionally, he was also struck by vehicles. He then started to have anxiety whenever a car stopped near him, thinking what would occur next.

Some people even urinated in beer bottles and gave him to drink. So, he stopped drinking from open bottles. Eventually, he started carrying a pistol with him after a particularly terrible incident. Despite such a gruesome incident, he never stopped his ritual of nighttime walks in a green jacket.

Raymond Robinson was not a man who complained about his situation. Nevertheless, people who met him always regarded Raymond as a kind man. Some even let out tears thinking about his suffering and the way most cruel people treated him.

Instead, he was a legend who left his legacy behind, inspiring a lot of people to accept themselves the

Raymond Robinson Died In 1985

Raymond Robinson became a myth and an urban legend in Pennsylvania. People exaggerated the legend about him and slowly masked the entire reality. Doctors believed that he should have died in that accident in his childhood. It was a miracle that despite the melted face and missing extremities, Robinson survived.

Towards the last years of his life, he gave up his night walks and moved to Friendship Ridge in Brighton Township. But locals continued reporting the sightings of Charlie-No-Face even after his death on June 11, 1985.