Heman Park — Attraction in University City

They say if you wander too deep into Heman Park after sundown, you’ll hear the sounds first—something between a growl and a man’s coughing laugh, echoing low through the trees. Most folks chalk it up to raccoons or teens trying to spook each other. But some, especially the old-timers, they know better. They’ve seen the Heman Park Humanoid.

Back in the late ’70s, when the park was just starting to get cleaned up from years of neglect, workers found more than just rusted beer cans and sun-bleached bones of old deer. Deep near the creek bed, hidden in a cluster of old oaks, they discovered a series of strange shelters—woven from vines, bark, and animal skins. One man swore he saw a figure watching from the trees, half-covered in shadow. Said it moved like a man… but the eyes? They weren’t human.

Over the years, sightings continued. A jogger saw it dart across the path—too tall for a man, too fast for a bear. Kids would come home from night games talking about “the park man,” saying he smelled like wet leaves and rotten meat. One unlucky couple parked near the edge of the woods claimed their car was clawed—deep gouges on the hood, as if something had leapt on top.

Nobody knows exactly what it is. Some think it’s part man, part forest spirit, born from the old burial mounds nearby. Others whisper it’s a science experiment gone wrong, escaped from some long-defunct lab under the park’s old stone pavilion. And some just call it what it is: the Humanoid—neither man nor beast, watching and waiting for something only it understands.

They say if you’re in Heman Park and the breeze suddenly dies, if the crickets go quiet and the leaves stop rustling… you best leave. Fast. Because that means he’s near.

And he doesn’t...

This is an ok place to get some exercise during the day. There's just way too much litter. I wish we could respect our neighborhood a little better. I sometimes take time out of my day to pick up empty beer bottles, cigarillo wrappers, and general trash people left over from the prior days before. This isn't the ideal place for my son, but it's ok. If you wan't to have a cookout on the weekend with family, this should be good.

Cops frequent the area a lot. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. I like to go during the morning and mid day times when too many people aren't blasting lame mumble rap with a lot of cursing and people are smoking after 4pm on the weekday.

Basketball goals are right next to the fence where you could permanently lose your basketball down the creek. You never know when the soccer goals will be up or down. Be careful if you're black because some Mormon church group might call the cops on you if you're looking...

Woo Hoo! The Heman park pool is about to re-open. A new water park is planned to expand the offering to kids next year. Ruth Park Golf course is rocking! I moved across the street in 2018. I had 3-4 maybe 5 golf balls shanked into my yard for 3 years. Last year I got 8! The parking lot is full all week now. The Ruth Park woods have new signs and well traveled, expertly maintained, trails. The connection to the bird habitat on the east side is complete. The wetlands boardwalks are magical. U-city recycles their green waste in the woods, so an echo locator reveals about 6-10 species of well fed bats flying/ hunting every dusk. The use of native prairie is beautifully crafted and complemented by more “conventional” annuals on the I mile golf cart path that gets allot of dog Walker travel in the early and late hours. The newly lit driving range is on the near term horizon. U-city is definitely the...