Did the Right Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King, the tenth prime minister of Canada, visit the Keyhole House? We are not sure. However, we know that he had his fortune told right around the corner. By 1919, former Keyhole House owner Robert Brodie had befriended Sir Wilfred Laurier and Mackenzie King. That same year, Robert Brodie seconded the motion to name Mackenzie King as Liberal leader, which led to King serving as Canada’s prime minister for more than two decades.

Mackenzie King was a rather eccentric man. He had numerous dogs, and they were all named Pat. He never married, but had several close female friends. King took a great interest in spiritualism while in office, and used mediums to communicate with the dead. For a long time, this was a well-kept secret, known only to his close friends and some members of his staff. However, upon his death, over 30,000 pages from his diaries became public.

The origin of King’s belief in spiritualism was his Christianity. He was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church. Through his faith, his beliefs in heaven and the afterlife deepened. Tragedy was another catalyst for King’s interest in spiritualism. His mother, father, sister, and brother all died between 1915 and 1922. In his diary, King indicated that he was certain that the departed members of his family continued to exist and remained with him in spirit, guiding him and encouraging him. His conviction was so strong that he believed it was possible to communicate with them.

King began consulting fortune tellers as early as 1896. He wrote in his diary that while in Toronto, a seer had told him “… some strange truths” and had successfully predicted that he would travel to Chicago in the fall. In 1920, he had his palm read by a Syrian fortune teller while in Calgary. By March 1925, King’s interest in fortune tellers had intensified. He began consulting Mrs. Rachel Bleaney of Kingston regularly. She claimed that she was able to see the spirits of his mother and his brother Max. In 1926, she correctly predicted King’s election victory.