Like Alexandria, Richmond, Williamsburg and other early Virginia towns, Fredericksburg is steeped in American history. It came into being in 1728 as a 500-acre frontier settlement on the banks of the Rappahannock River, and its heritage spans colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil War events. George Washington, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason are among the great men who walked Fredericksburg's cobblestone streets. Although rapid growth is beginning to absorb Fredericksburg within the Washington, D.C., suburban megalopolis, a 40-block area of the town is a National Register Historic District. Most visitors come here either to see the buildings in which Washington, Jefferson, Lee, Mason, Monroe and their families lived and worked, or to explore the Civil War battlefields. Among the highlights are the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop and The Rising Sun Tavern, two of the more entertaining historic sites in Virginia.