ONLEY, Va. (Delmarva Now) -- When William Ennis walked into the newly renovated McDonald’s in Onley, something immediately caught his eye: A map of Virginia hung in the entryway, but there was no Eastern Shore.
“I just couldn’t believe it when I walked in there,” said the Onley resident, who was on his way to buy coffee.
One photo and a popular Facebook post later, Ennis was hatching plans to do something about the unfinished map. Waking up early one morning, he began designing a facsimile of Virginia’s Eastern Shore to complete the Commonwealth.
“I went to the printer, started looking for a good picture of the Eastern Shore and ended up making a good stencil,” he said. “I went to the garage, got some spray paint, and just said, ‘Alright, I’m just going to run in here during the lunch rush. That way no one’s going to stop me.'"
Since then, dozens of Facebook followers have shared pictures of the map and the feedback has been “nothing but positive,” Ennis said.
Because it is separated from Virginia’s mainland by the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore has frequently been left off maps.
During the 2016 presidential election, for example, a post on Republican candidate Ted Cruz’s Facebook page urged visitors to “Show your Virginia pride” with a state map sticker that excluded Virginia’s Eastern Shore, although the error was fixed hours after the original post.
Fellow presidential candidate Ben Carson's campaign sent out a tweet with a color-coded map that showed the Eastern Shore of Virginia as part of Maryland during the same election cycle.
“It’s not something that we’re proud of, but also not something that we have a lot of control over,” said Tiffany Beach, the owner and operator of McDonald’s restaurants across Delmarva, of the map.
According to Beach, the design in the Onley establishment was conceived hundreds of miles away by Wisconsin-based Interior Systems, Inc.
Noting the error immediately upon entering the newly renovated restaurant on Lankford Highway, she and the contractor sent photos to the company pointing it out, Beach said.
“I was very upset,” she said. “They knew that they had to replace it as soon as possible.”
An Eastern Shore piece is in the works to join mainland Virginia, “but it’s a custom item, so it’s taking some time,” Beach said.
In the meantime, workers have removed the altered panels in the Onley restaurant “in hopes that the replacement will come soon,” she said.
It’s not the first time locals have worked to put the Eastern Shore back on Virginia’s map.
In 2015, Shore native and then-Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam was in the Oliver Hill building in Capitol Square, in Richmond, when he noticed a map outside of the State Veterinarian’s office.
At six feet wide, the carved wooden outline of Virginia was adorned with bronze letters spelling “State Veterinarian,” but was missing his birthplace.
Northam pointed out the missing counties to State Veterinarian Richard Wilkes, who literally took matters into his own hands.
Hand-carving an Eastern Shore addition to the map, he presented the piece to Northam, who invited members of the Virginia General Assembly to join in unveiling the completed Commonwealth.
Shore representatives Sen. Lynwood Lewis and Delegate Rob Bloxom Jr. gathered for the celebration.
“People feel a real sense of community around here,” Ennis said. “I think that’s something to keep strong and they should be recognized.”
According to Beach, the Delmar McDonald’s branch displays an accurate map of Virginia, including the Eastern Shore. She is not aware of any plans to correct the Commonwealth’s image in any other branches, she said.
McDonald’s Corp.’s press team did not return calls for comment on the maps.
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