Zeddie Hyler

Zeddie was born to a sharecropper and his wife in 1918 in New Albany, Mississippi, the oldest of ten children. Though his father wanted him to stay home to farm, he worked his way through college, earning a bachelor’s degree in vocational education from Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Alcorn, Mississippi. He served in the Army during World War II, then moved to Milwaukee in 1944 as part of the Great Migration. He worked various jobs before becoming a postal clerk, took on additional side jobs, and bought a residence in the Bronzeville area of Milwaukee, on 9th Street. 

In the 1950s, Zeddie decided to pursue his dream of building a large ranch home he called “The Ponderosa.”  Understanding the challenges of trying to buy land and build a house as a Black man in Wauwatosa, he asked a white friend to buy the property and then sell it to him. Zeddie’s application for a building permit was initially rejected because of neighbors’ objections based on the fear of property devaluation and bigotry. That decision was overturned in February 1955, and Zeddie was granted his permits. Throughout the permit process and construction, Zeddie received threatening phone calls. The home was vandalized several times during construction. While there were many objections and threats, not all disapproved; community and church groups expressed outrage over the treatment Zeddie was experiencing. In May 1955, 39 white women from Wauwatosa, many of them from prominent families, publicly protested the vandalism in the newspaper, citing the U.S. Bill of Rights protecting all citizens.  

Zeddie helped family members relocate and settle in the Milwaukee area. He continued to be a mentor and leader in the Milwaukee Black Community through his involvement with various groups like the Mason Fraternal Organization, North Central YMCA, and Businessman’s Advancement Association. His home was a stop for visiting friends, like Hank Aaron and Sammy Davis, Jr. He remained in his home at 2363 North 113th Street until his death in 2004. 

The home was bequeathed to his grandnephew, Gerald Williamson, and remains in the family. The Wauwatosa Historic Preservation Commission formally recognized the home in 2020 as a Wauwatosa historical landmark. In 2025, Zeddie’s great-great-nephew, artist Gerald Williamson, Jr., known artistically as Moolah Bred, created a solar-powered bench in the shape of a firefly in Zeddie’s honor and memory. The bench, called “Forever Wauwatosa,” can be found in Firefly Grove Park.