Every town or city has its own urban legends – stories that you grow up hearing over and over, and that have been passed down through generations.
The more the story is told, the more elaborate and unbelievable it becomes, just like a game of telephone.
But there’s usually also a grain of truth behind every urban legend and often times the true story is more interesting than the legend itself.
In the mid-1900s, western Pennsylvania had its own legend. Some called him the Green Man, others called him Charlie No-Face, but the descriptions were all the same.
For many years, the residents of Beaver County in western Pennsylvania told stories about Charlie No Face, who was often spotted walking down a lonely stretch of Route 351 at night.
A lot of people thought of him as a boogeyman or a ghost, but the true story behind his identity might surprise you.
The Legend of Charlie No Face, The Green Man
So the legend of Charlie No Face goes like this: A group of teenagers are driving down a dark road one night when they decide to try and give themselves a scare.
They drive into an old abandoned railroad tunnel, which the locals have nicknamed the Green Man Tunnel. They turn off the car lights and wait.
It isn’t long before they hear footsteps and strange whining in the darkness. The footsteps get closer and closer until the teens become too scared and turn the lights back on.
Standing near the car is a man with no eyes, nose, and a twisted, deformed mouth. The teens drive away in a panic, with Charlie No Face chasing after them. They still hear his screams as they drive out of the tunnel and into the night.
He was a tall, imposing man who walked the streets at night. He looked normal from behind, but when people approached him, they discovered something horrible.
His face was horribly disfigured, almost like he had no face at all. While some fled in terror, Charlie No Face, or the Green Man, was never aggressive or violent.
An Ordinary Man
Over the years, tourists would roam the area hoping to encounter him or catch a glimpse of a local urban legend. A monstrous Green Man.
They’re looking for Charlie No-Face and they find him, but he’s not what they expected. He’s not haunting an abandoned tunnel, his skin isn’t bright green, and he’s just a regular guy out for a walk.
And he does have a face, it’s just a little different. Those who are brave enough to get out of the car, actually go talk to him. They find out his name is Raymond Robinson and he’s got quite a story.
Real Story of Charlie No Face, The Green Man
The origin of the Green Man is much more mundane. He was a normal boy until he was seriously injured in an electrical accident as an eight-year-old.
His real name was Raymond Robinson and he was a long-time resident of Beaver County. He spent his days playing with his friends, going to school, and helping out with chores around the house.
He was a normal happy kid until tragedy struck his family. Raymond lost his dad when he was just seven years old. Then two years later, the accident happened.
In 1919, when Raymond was just 8 years old, he was playing with friends near an old trolley bridge. They saw a bird’s nest on the bridge and Raymond climbed up to see what was inside after being dared to do it by another boy.
While climbing the bridge, he came in contact with wires carrying 22,000 volts of electricity. He was severely burned and doctors didn’t think that he would survive.
In fact, another boy had died recently by being electrocuted on that same bridge. But against all odds he did survive, and he lived for quite a long time, until the age of 74.
The doctors were amazed that he survived. Unfortunately, the accident left him severely disfigured. His face looked as if it had been melted. He lost his eyes, his nose, and one arm.
Perseverant
Raymond was mostly a recluse who spent almost all of his time with his family. He enjoyed making leather goods like wallets and belts and listening to the radio.
He avoided going outside during the day for fear he would startle people. But nights were his time to roam the streets. He liked to hike at night when he could venture out more inconspicuously.
This is how the urban legend started. People would see him walking down the road at night and come up with all kinds of stories about him.
Raymond encountered a lot of cruelty, and sometimes even violence from strangers on his walks. Sometimes people offered him a ride and then left him in the middle of nowhere.
He was also hit several times by cars and often mocked by outsiders. He started becoming anxious when cars approached and sometimes he would even hide behind trees until they were gone.
This didn’t stop him from taking his walks though, he continued doing it for decades. However, due to his kind nature, more and more people got to know Raymond.
A Loving Friend
On some nights, there would be a line of cars on the side of the road. All of them Raymond’s friends, there to keep him company on his walks.
All of them brought his favorite things, a cold beer and a pack of cigarettes. Everyone having a great time with him, joking around while drinking beer.
By all accounts, he was a really nice guy who was well-loved by the people who knew him. He continued making friends like this for fifty years.
He passed away on June 11, 1985, and today he’s buried in Grandview Cemetery, just over the hill from the bridge where he was electrocuted as a child.
The legend of Charlie No Face, the mysterious Green Man was just an ordinary loving person who was loved by his relatives, friends, and people.
