Pennsylvanians saw a glowing green man with no face stalking the roads at night. But the truth is bittersweet

In Pennsylvania, there is a well-known urban legend regarding a man dubbed the Green Man. People driving late at night claimed to have spotted the mysterious figure walking the roads, they described him as having no eyes, no nose, and no mouth, and his skin supposedly glowed green in the dark. However, these people weren’t imagining things, and they weren’t mistaken in what they saw. The Green Man was very much real, although that wasn’t his actual name.

The man behind the myth was often spotted late at night, walking along route 351 by countless drivers during the mid-20th century. His appearance was frightening to many who weren’t quite sure what to make of the ghostly figure. People would tell tales of encountering the man with no face late at night and the stories would inevitably turn into urban legends.

According to jahernandez.com, in some versions of the story, the Green Man, also known as the “Charlie no-face,” was a factory worker whose death involved a vat of acid and a lightning strike. Other versions claim that he would appear in a tunnel near South Park if visitors honked their car horns. Meanwhile, a third version of the legend tells of a man with no face wandering the routes of Pennsylvania. He would also accept cigarettes and beer from those who stopped to talk to him.

The true story behind the Green Man

While most parts of the U.S. have their own urban legends, you’re unlikely to find much in the way of truth behind these stories. However, in this case, the story of the Green Man is somewhat true and there’s even proof to back it up.

The individual thought to be the subject of many of these stories was actually a man by the name of Raymond Robinson. Born in 1910, when he was eight years old Robinson was involved in a serious accident when he touched an electrical line with 22,000 volts passing through it.

Miraculously, the young boy survived, although the accident left him severely injured. His eyes, nose, and left arm had been burned off and he suffered scars all over his body.

After the accident, Robinson mostly became a recluse, staying indoors at his family home and making a living by crafting wallets, belts, and doormats. But at night, Robinson would crave the fresh air, and so he began his routine of working inside during the day, and embarking on long walks at night.

Raymond Robinson didn’t want to scare anybody

Robinson purposefully chose the night so that he wouldn’t frighten people with his appearance, but of course, he would inevitably cross paths with others out late at night, the lights of their cars would cast a green hue around him making it appear as though he himself were glowing.

Of course, those who took the time to stop and talk to Raymond would learn that he was a kind man who simply wanted to go for a late-night stroll. He became well known around the area with some people offering him beer and cigarettes and chatting with him while on his walks. Others were more cruel, mocking him for his appearance and on several occasions he was struck by cars.

Raymond Robinson had to put a stop to his walks as he grew older and he eventually passed away in 1985, although his legend lives on. Even today, people still claim to have seen the Green Man walking the roads or occupying the tunnels around Pennsylvania.