 In, 1952 Harrington received the Citation for Distinguished Service from the United States Secretary of the Interior, an award usually given to high-ranking government officials or as a posthumous recognition of major contributions.In 1981, the Harringtons created the J.C. Harrington Medal, the Society for Historical Archaeology's award recognizing scholastic contributions to the discipline.Pinky Harrington received the first medal at the society's 1982 annual meeting in Philadelphia, and it has been presented yearly since.