Green Man's Tunnel

A railroad tunnel on Piney Fork Road in South Park that has become the subject of one of Pittsburgh's most enduring urban legends. The tunnel is associated with sightings of a mysterious glowing green figure known as Charlie No-Face or the Green Man.

Green Man's Tunnel in South Park Township has been a popular "haunted hangout" for teenagers from Pittsburgh's South Hills for decades. The abandoned railroad tunnel, built in 1924 and neglected since 1962, is covered in graffiti and filled with road salt. According to legend, the "Green Man" can be summoned by flashing headlights or honking three times at the entrance.

The surprising truth is that the Green Man was a real person named Raymond Robinson, though he never actually set foot in this tunnel—it sits about 40 miles from his home in Beaver County. Born in 1910, Robinson was tragically disfigured at age 9 in June 1919 when he climbed some power line poles near the Harmony railroad bridge in Beaver Falls, grabbed what he thought was a safe handhold, and contacted a live wire supplying electricity to the trolley. The 22,000 volts burned off most of his face, leaving him without eyes, nose, or one ear, and he lost an arm—but he survived.

To avoid the stares and cruelty of others, Robinson took walks at night along Route 351 near Koppel. Over time, word spread about the mysterious faceless figure seen walking after dark. Some people who encountered him were kind, stopping to talk, bringing him beer or cigarettes, and even taking photos. Others came just looking for a scare or a laugh. Robinson was struck by cars more than once, but he kept taking his walks.

By the 1970s, Robinson walked less frequently, and the teenagers who once sought him out moved away. Their stories evolved and merged with local legends, placing the "Green Man" in various spooky locations around Pittsburgh, including the South Park tunnel. The truth about Raymond Robinson became distorted into an urban legend of a supernatural figure.

Everyone who knew Raymond Robinson for any length of time said the same thing: he was incredibly kind. His great-niece Paulin LaCount says his true legacy should be "that he was kind to everybody." Robinson passed away in 1985 at age 74 of natural causes.