Booth's visit to the Surratt Boarding House after the assassination

[L Verge]

I believe that Maddie is correct in this, and it's the first time that I have actually realized that this has to be an error. The front parlor was generally the public area in all homes with the double parlor. In many boardinghouses (such as Petersen's), the back parlor was converted to a bedroom in order to get more boarders packed in i.e. money brought in. This was especially true in Civil War Washington where rentals were at a premium.