Haunted Roads of Western Pennsylvania

by Thomas White

  A car waits on Crybaby Bridge in the darkness. Courtesy of Haley Bristor.

  The one element of the Greene County version of the Crybaby Bridge legend that is unique is its rather elaborate ritual to summon the ghost. As we have seen so far, most often the legend trip rituals involve only one or two steps. This ritual involves five steps: turning the car off, opening the windows, turning headlights on, putting the keys on the hood and finally calling out about the baby. It is likely that all of these steps are not followed by all legend trippers, but they are still more involved than your average ritual. Perhaps this is because this legend is smaller in geographic scale than some of the other roads and has only one ghost story associated with it. The complex ritual adds more “meat” to the legend, but this is only a guess. Regardless, it provides very specific instructions to bring a legend tripper in direct contact with a ghost. Conversely, if the ghost does not appear, the legend tripper must have failed to follow all of the steps properly, allowing for continued belief in the legend. This ritual and the underlying messages of the story will continue to draw the curious for the foreseeable future.

  THE GREEN MAN’S WANDERINGS

  VARIOUS COUNTIES

  Of all the mysterious ghosts or supernatural forces that purportedly inhabit the roads of western Pennsylvania, none has proven as consistently popular as the legendary Green Man. Since the 1950s, the mysterious figure has stalked teenagers and legend trippers on dark back roads and isolated stretches. He is reportedly seen in numerous locations from Allegheny County to as far away as Youngstown, Ohio. It seems as if nowhere is out of his reach. But just who is this mysterious figure?

  According to the legends, he was originally a normal man (or boy) who was struck by lightning. It did not kill him but left him disfigured and with a greenish tint to his skin. Some people believed that he actually glowed green because of the accident. Other versions of the legend claim that he was a utility worker who was injured in some type of electrical accident. He was left with the same type of injuries and strange side effects. Still others claim that the Green Man was created when a man fell into a vat of chemicals or acid, causing the same disfigurement and glowing effect. Many people believe that, regardless of the cause of the accident, the Green Man did not actually survive. When he appears to legend trippers, they are actually encountering his ghost. Others believe that he lived for many years after the accident, walking the roads, but eventually died. Now his ghost continues the same activity, haunting lonely roads and tunnels.

  And those roads and tunnels could be almost anywhere in the region. As mentioned earlier, the Green Man was reported on Hogback Road in Mercer County at least as far back as the 1970s. Just a little farther to the south, the Green Man has been reported in the New Castle area. He is supposed to wander the roads in a wide area to the west of the city known for its numerous legend trip locations. Known in recent years as “Zombie Land” by some locals, the area stretches between routes 224 and 422. The Green Man has even been sighted farther to the west, just over the Ohio border, in the Youngstown area.

  Farther to the south, the Green Man has appeared in Washington County (on Shades of Death Road, no less), Beaver County and in numerous places in Allegheny County, including McKees Rocks, North Park, Brookline and West Mifflin, just to name a few. By far, the most popular home of the Green Man in Allegheny County is in South Park. Some accounts from as far back as the 1960s place him on Snowden Road, which was more isolated at the time. The Green Man, as usual, approached parked cars full of teenagers. But as almost any South Park resident can tell you, the Green Man’s home is just around the bend from Snowden Road in an old tunnel under the railroad tracks alongside Piney Fork Road. It is located right next to another haunted tunnel that is actually on Piney Fork Road known as Corvette Tunnel. The Green Man Tunnel is so well known that it actually shows up as a landmark on Google Maps.

  One side of the Green Man Tunnel. Courtesy of Stephen Bosnyak.

  The other side of the Green Man Tunnel, where legend trippers tend to approach. The road salt can be seen in the tunnel in this photo. Courtesy of Stephen Bosnyak.

  Stephen Bosnyak, who is a local website designer and promotions coordinator, is also an expert on South Hills and Monongahela Valley legends. He manages the popular Green Man’s Tunnel Facebook page and has been involved in a variety of related projects. Bosnyak described the legends of both the Green Man Tunnel and Corvette Tunnel to the authors:

  It has been said that an isolated stretch of Piney Fork Road in South Park Township is a place where motorists often have encounters with the unknown. For over sixty years, two urban legends have been associated with this particular route and the tunnels that were constructed on it. One of the legends speaks of a utility worker who was electrocuted when he accidentally came into contact with power lines. According to popular belief, the incident left the man severely disfigured and allegedly turned his skin green in color. Not long after the accident, those traveling along Piney Fork Road began to see the “Green Man” lurking near an abandoned railroad tunnel just beyond the pavement. This was followed by a series of terrifying tales that suggested the mysterious being would chase after vehicles with a teenager behind the wheel; especially the ones who would provoke him by sounding the horn and flashing the headlights.

  The second legend to attach itself to Piney Fork Road pertains to a different accident. This one involved two sports cars. Supposedly, a young woman driving a Corvette was showing off for a boy when she challenged another Corvette owner to a race. It didn’t take long before the two vehicles were speeding along the narrow road toward the tunnel and the finish line. Excitement turned to horror when those who had gathered on the side of the road watched the two cars collide at the tunnel’s entrance. Witnesses claim that the young woman was killed instantly when she was ejected from her vehicle. Others say that she was burned alive when the car burst into flames. One variation of the “fire story” even goes as far to say that the young woman actually drowned in the Peters Creek while trying to extinguish the flames that were consuming her body. Regardless of her manner of death, the young woman’s accident became the basis of the Phantom Corvette legend…which is one that many drivers unknowingly become a part of. As the story goes, motorists traveling through the tunnel at dusk without using headlights often hear the distinct sound of an engine revving and tires squealing when no other vehicles are present. Even more frightening to drivers is how headlights suddenly appear in rear view mirrors only to disappear just as quickly upon exiting the tunnel.

  As Bosnyak noted, the Green Man Tunnel and Corvette Tunnel have been visited by legend trippers for decades. Graffiti frequently covers the tunnels, though they are occasionally cleaned. Both are genuinely spooky in the dark. For at least part of the year, South Park Township stores road salt in the Green Man Tunnel, which is ironic because salt has traditionally been used to ward off supernatural forces. The Green Man’s accident is often said to have occurred on the tracks above the tunnel or in the nearby creek, explaining the glowing figure’s connection to the site.

  According to tradition, there are a variety of ways to make the Green Man appear at the tunnel. One such legend trip ritual involves driving your car up to or into the tunnel. Once there, you are to flash your headlights three times or honk your horn three times. Another method does not involve a car but only requires one to walk up to or into the tunnel and call the Green Man’s name three times. Some legend trippers have suggested that for any of these rituals to work, they must be performed during a lightning storm, because the Green Man was electrocuted. There are numerous other variations to these rituals, but the preceding are the most common at this location.

  The narrow and dangerous Corvette Tunnel in South Park. Courtesy of Stephen Bosnyak.

  The Green Man Tunnel (left) and Corvette Tunnel (right) on Piney Fork Road. Courtesy of Stephen Bosnyak.

  One woman described her experience at the tunnel when she was in high school in the early 200
0s. Her account is typical of the stories that one hears about the site. She said:

  My friend was driving—there were four of us—and he parked his car down off Piney Fork by the other tunnel. We walked up a little path through the trees to the Green Man Tunnel. It was dark, so we made him go first…Deep down we knew it wasn’t real, but it was still kind of scary down there. Anyway, everyone always said he was really there—the Green Man—so my friend walked up to the opening of the tunnel. He couldn’t go in because it was full of salt, but he said something like, “Green Man, come out,” or something a couple of times. The rest of us stayed back a little. Nothing happened, so we started to laugh and make jokes—but then we heard a noise that sounded like someone running through the woods. I think it was up on the hillside behind us. We all screamed and ran back to the car. We laughed about it later because it was probably just an animal, but it was fun.

  Her encounter had all of the key elements of a classic legend trip. It ended with ambiguity, leaving a tiny sliver of possibility that something supernatural did occur.

  The tunnel on Piney Fork Road is not the only Green Man Tunnel in southern Allegheny County. On an isolated stretch of Curry Hollow Road in Dravosburg is another Green Man Tunnel. The legend is almost identical to the South Park tunnel, and accounts of seeking out the Green Man there go back at least as far as the 1960s. With the rise in popularity of the South Park tunnel, the Curry Hollow Road tunnel has had a second legend associated with it that is equally as ominous. In more recent decades, it has often been referred to as the Bleeding Tunnel. A man was allegedly stabbed to death in the tunnel decades ago during a storm. His killer was never apprehended. Today if one drives through the tunnel while it is raining, blood seeps out of the ground and will splatter up on your car. The non-supernatural explanation is that the water has rust in it that runs off the tracks and metal above.

  One of the most intriguing aspects of the Green Man legend lies in the fact that it is so widespread in western Pennsylvania but is not common in any other part of the country. The other haunted roads that we have looked at in this book contain at least some elements that were common in other states and regions. While parts of the Green Man legend may be similar to the classic Hook Man, it is unique in many ways. The legend of the Green Man has also been consistent for years. It has defied the legend life cycle that we discussed in the first chapter and remains popular today even though it began in the 1950s. The likely reason for this is that part of this legend is definitely true. There really was a Green Man, and his real name was Ray Robinson.

  The other Green Man Tunnel on Curry Hollow Road, also known as the Bleeding Tunnel. Courtesy of Stephen Bosnyak.

  Ray Robinson grew up in Beaver County, just about the geographic center of all of the locations where the Green Man allegedly appears. Born two days before Halloween in 1910, he spent his early years in the Morado section of Beaver Falls. His father, Robert, died when he was seven. Two years later, Ray would be involved in a traumatic and horrific accident that would alter his life forever.

  One warm June day in 1919, Ray and some other children were on their way to go swimming when they came to the trolley bridge that stretched over Wallace Run. The bridge was utilized by the Harmony Trolley Line, which only continued a short distance farther into Beaver Falls. Today, the Route 18 Highway Bridge is in that location. In Bob Bauder’s excellent article on Ray that appeared in the Beaver County Times in 2007, trolley expert Bill Fronczek explained that such a bridge would have had electrical lines carrying 1,200 volts DC and 22,000 volts AC. These lines would not have had any special protective covering.

  Beaver Falls in 1909, a year before the birth of Ray Robinson. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  As the boys passed the bridge, they noticed that there was a bird’s nest in the support structure. Someone dared Ray to climb up and count how many birds were in it. The boys were aware that it was dangerous and knew that less than a year earlier, another boy had been killed after touching the electrical lines on that very bridge. Perhaps whoever issued the dare did not think Ray would follow through, but he did. It was a tragic mistake. As Ray neared the nest, he accidently grabbed the electrical line. He was burned and shocked so badly that no one expected him to survive.

  But Ray did survive after spending weeks teetering on the brink of death, and he reportedly remained positive in spite of his severe injuries. His face had been distorted, and his eyes and nose were burned away. Only patches of hair were left on his head. He lost his left arm below the elbow and was scarred in various places on his upper body.

  For a long time after the accident, Ray would be in and out of hospitals. He continued to live with his family in relative isolation. His injuries left him hesitant to go out in public. The family eventually moved closer to the town of Koppel. Ray would go outside occasionally, sometimes helping with yardwork. He enjoyed listening to the radio and would actually take hikes on the paths through the woods behind his home. Even though he was blind, he did not lose his way because he kept one foot on the path and one off of the edge.

  The legend of the Green Man would have never taken hold, however, if it were not for the actions of a mining company. Sometime around World War II, the land behind the Robinson house was cleared and strip-mined. The paths Ray once walked were obliterated. With nowhere to take his walks, Ray had to find a new route.

  A photo of Ray Robinson from 1959. Robinson’s nighttime walks inspired the legend of the Green Man. Courtesy of Jim Matuga.

  By the 1950s, Ray had taken to walking along Koppel-New Galilee Road (Route 351). Most reports said that he would head out around 10:00 p.m. He kept one foot on the edge of the road and one on the gravel. Ray had wanted to avoid attention, at least in the beginning. But the late hour did not stop teenagers from finding him. They would drive past and stare in fascination and horror and then go and tell their friends. After a while, they stopped and talked to Ray. By the end of the 1950s, teenagers came to see him regularly from all over the region and even other states. Ray would occasionally speak to people from as far away as Chicago and St. Louis. On any Friday night, there could be anywhere from dozens to over one hundred teenagers lining Koppel-New Galilee Road.

  In those early years, Ray was not always known as the Green Man but was more frequently was referred to as “Charlie No-Face.” Going to see Charlie No-Face was a rite of passage for hundreds, if not thousands of area teenagers in the 1950s and early ’60s. Albert DeAmicis, MPIA, MPPM, an adjunct professor of Justice, Law and Security at La Roche College, visited Ray many times. He described his experience:

  When I was a young man, there was a rumor or legend in Pennsylvania that a man called the Green Man truly existed. The rumors that circulate about the Green Man place him in the location of a South Park tunnel and other localities. The Green Man actually lived in Koppel, Pennsylvania and his name was Ray Robinson, also known as “Charlie No-face.” As the story goes, Ray was a tragic figure who, as a curious young boy, climbed a trestle to view a bird’s nest and was severely disfigured by a high voltage electric cable that was a power source for a trolley line.

  He would stay in his house during the day, and at night he would venture out and walk with a cane along a desolate highway. My personal experience with Ray would take place on a Friday or Saturday night. My friends and I would make the trek to Koppel around 12:00 midnight to see Ray and bring him a couple of six packs of beer. From my recollection, there was a large field that on any Friday or Saturday evening, you could find 100 people or more with license plates ranging from all over, such as West Virginia, Ohio and even Kentucky. Pennsylvanians came from all over to see Ray. At times, you could even run into people from your own neighborhood. The original attraction was to see if this myth truly did exist. This man’s legend attracted everyone to catch a glimpse of this decent human being who was tragically given a bad break in life by being grotesquely disfigured from a horrible accident.

  Lastly, we asked Ray one night if he would
not mind us taking a picture of him. He had no problem with posing for pictures for all the visitors that came to see him. We carried that picture around in our wallets for years to say that we knew the Green Man and here was our proof. But after further reflection, we actually carried a picture of a decent human being who was a survivor and it was a real pleasure to meet and know him for that short period of time in our lives.

  Jim Matuga, who grew up in Beaver County, also visited Charlie No-Face on a regular basis and befriended him. He described Robinson as a “kind and friendly man.” Before Matuga entered the military in 1959, Ray allowed him to take his picture so that Matuga could prove that he knew him. Matuga said that even though most of the visitors were friendly, some would tease and taunt Robinson. On a few occasions, he was talked into getting into someone’s car and then left stranded somewhere. On more than one occasion, he was beat up.

  Matuga also recalled one night in 1958 when Ray inadvertently ended up on the news. In August, a newlywed couple was traveling down Route 351 trying to find their motel. They were lost, and when they saw a figure walking down the side of the road in the distance, they thought he could help. When they called out to him, he kept his back turned as he talked. Since they could not hear him they asked him to come closer. When Ray leaned down toward the car window, the bride became so frightened that she allegedly went into cardiac arrest (it was more likely a panic attack). The couple sped off, and the woman was taken to the hospital. Bill Burns, the well-known local news reporter, interviewed the terror-stricken groom. The man claimed that they had encountered a Martian. Upon seeing the report, Matuga knew they had actually encountered Ray.