![Warren, Rhode Island’s Handkerchief History](https://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2022/03/attachment-Handkerchiefs.jpeg?w=980&q=75)
Warren, Rhode Island’s Handkerchief History
As I spent the past few days battling a runny nose, I knew I was going to have to deal with constant nose-wiping throughout my on-air shift, something nobody wants to endure. As I left the house to come into work, I grabbed the old standby for days like this: the good ol’ handkerchief.
Handkerchiefs, though, have fallen out of favor over the years. The odd looks I get from co-workers or people out in public when I pull it out of my pocket, wipe my nose, and stuff it back in are evidence of that.
For many, the idea of using a “snot rag” and then pushing it back into your pocket is gross. I promise you, though, I’ve gone to far grosser lengths when dealing with post-nasal drip.
When I spent a few years cooking in the corporate cafe inside a warehouse setting, I had a unique trick for dealing with a runny nose – I’d take a package of the free foam earplugs provided for warehouse workers and jam them up my nose. Worked like a charm.
![WBSM-AM/AM 1420 logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/WBSMAM.png?w=100)
Anyway, the use of a handkerchief may be a lost art in the time of disposable facial tissue, but it still resonates with some.
I began thinking today about New Bedford and Fall River’s textile history, and wondering how many of those old mills either directly or indirectly had a hand in the handkerchief.
As it turns out, not that far from here, there was a factory that specialized in the production of handkerchiefs in Warren, Rhode Island. The Warren Handkerchief Factory, as it was so cleverly named, was built in the late 1800s and was a key part of the area’s mills and factories during the textile era.
I tried to find some information online about the history of the factory, and even tried making a few phone calls, but came up empty. What I did find, though, is that the building has been repurposed and subdivided for commercial tenants – including the manufacturing of Tito’s chips and salsa.
While the Warren Handkerchief Factory is now just a name that’s a nod to history, it once stood as a bastion against boogers, a mainstay against mucus, a stronghold against snot.
And that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Beware of These 50 Jobs That Might Vanish in the Next 50 Years
More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420
![Rhode Island’s Most Famous Sandwich Requires Extra Napkins](http://townsquare.media/site/519/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-26.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Could Providence’s Washington Bridge Become a Tunnel Instead?](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2024/02/attachment-attachment-untitled-design-2024-01-22t165132-012-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Massachusetts Mail Delivery Is the Worst in the Nation](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-89521132.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Massachusetts and Rhode Island Drive-In Theaters to Experience](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2024/07/attachment-33.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Newport Folk Festival Ranked Among Top Music Festivals in United States](http://townsquare.media/site/519/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-1164814454.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Massachusetts and Rhode Island Pools You Can Rent This Summer](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2024/07/attachment-chlemsford-mansion.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Strong Signs This Weekend Is Olivia Culpo’s Rhode Island Wedding](http://townsquare.media/site/519/files/2024/06/attachment-GettyImages-14680844871.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Hidden Gem Rhode Island Buffet With A High Price, But Amazing Views](http://townsquare.media/site/519/files/2024/06/attachment-Nordic-Charlestown.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Rhode Island Expands Road Access to Low-Speed Vehicles](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2024/06/attachment-GEM-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)