Horse Mountain (Silvertooth Agate Fields)

Horse Mountain, about 4 miles east-northeast of Shelbyville in Bedford County, Tennessee, is one of the best-known agate localities in the eastern half of the state. The material — locally called "Horse Mountain agate" or "Iris agate" — is a tightly banded Ordovician-age sedimentary agate from the Hermitage Formation, similar in character to Brazilian agate, and thin-cut pieces can show genuine iris fire. This is farmland, not public land: the ground is documented under the names Silvertooth Agate Fields and Curbow Rock Farm, referring to a past property owner who ran fee-based digging here, with plowing regularly turning up fresh chalcedony and agate at the surface. We could not confirm whether that fee-dig arrangement is still active today — the sourced description reads as historical rather than current, so verify before planning a trip around it.

Horse Mountain sits in Bedford County, Tennessee, roughly 4 miles ENE of Shelbyville, west of the town of Wartrace. We found no current street address or public directions — historical sources describe it only as private farmland in this vicinity.

Historically, surface collecting after plowing — no digging required, since agricultural work brought material to the top. Whether that arrangement (and any associated access) still exists today is unconfirmed.

This is private farmland, not public land — land_manager is listed as private based on its documented history as a working farm with a landowner-run fee-collecting program. We could not verify current ownership, whether a fee program still operates, current rates, or a phone/website to contact before visiting. Do not assume you can walk onto this property; confirm ownership and get explicit permission before visiting, and treat any pricing found elsewhere online as unverified until confirmed directly with a current owner or operator.