At the behest of State Ornithologist I. H. Johnston, Spring Hill Cemetery was designated a bird sanctuary by the City Council in 1916. To this day, local and visiting birders stop by to add to their “counts.” The Handlan Chapter of the Brooks Bird Club frequently leads bird walks, and the cemetery hosts educational programs focused on birding.

In 2024, bluebird houses were installed throughout the cemetery to honor Mr. Johnston.

Johnston’s gravestone (1869–1947), located in Historic Spring Hill, Section 32, describes him as a naturalist. As West Virginia’s State Ornithologist, Johnston authored Birds of West Virginia, published by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture in 1923. The book provides accounts of forty of the state’s best-known species, detailing their nesting habits, range, diet, and general behavior.

In 1895, Izrael Johnston built a two-story, bungalow-style cottage of painted clapboards on Myrtle Road. Known as “The Bird Man” for the birds he attracted to—and kept in—his garden and home, Johnston’s residence became known as Bird Haven. One of the oldest frame-built houses in the area, it features late Victorian elements such as a three-sided front bay window and front and back parlors. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Johnston also owned and operated a tailor shop at 308 Virginia Street in Charleston.