“Some families have jewels or China... we have a rock,” said Meighan Dutt, in a recent e-mail to The Newtown Bee. Dutt was referring to her family inheritance, passed down from generation to generation since the 1800s. It is not just any rock, though.

The boulder, weighing around a ton (“Nobody has actually weighed it; it’s part of the folklore that comes with it,” Dutt noted), is perfectly egg-shaped.

“It’s been in my family for over 150 years,” she said, having been found in the hills of Yonkers, N.Y. by her great-great-grandfather, William Corballis. There was a rumor at the time, she explained in a telephone conversation, that money had been hidden in the hills, perhaps before or after the Civil War. While her great-grandfather did not find any money, he did come across the unusual rock.

“He rolled it down the hill and put it in front of the tavern he owned at the time, and renamed [the tavern] the Big Egg Tavern,” Dutt said in retelling the tale handed down through family history.

From thence, the stone was passed on to her great-grandfather, also William, her grandfather Charlie Corballis, and then to her father, Paul Corballis. It was her father who started the tradition of painting the egg-shaped stone, decorating it for various holidays — “always for Easter” — and special occasions. He also made sure that the family heirloom moved with them, wherever they went.

The family lived in Ridgefield, Redding, and Weston when Dutt was growing up, and the rock always came right along. In 2004, she became the keeper of the special stone, placing it in the yard of each of the three Newtown homes in which she has lived.

Currently, it resides with Dutt at 19 Borough Lane. The moves have been interesting, she said. It has been loaded onto a flatbed from Hilario’s Service Center and hauled to its new location, each time.

“They wrap it in chains,” said Dutt, and then the egg is laid gently into place. “The last time was about 13 years ago.”

The more recent moves have been far less uneventful than the time when her family moved from Ridgefield to Redding.

“It actually broke the back of the wooden tow truck,” she recalled.

Holidays still find the boulder boldly boasting a new look. It has been painted for July Fourth, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and even Memorial Day. For her daughter’s graduation from high school, Dutt said the rock was painted to commemorate that occasion. “Christmas is tough,” she rued, “because it gets cold,” making it difficult to paint.

This Easter, despite the coronavirus putting so much else on hold, is not different for the family rock. Drive by the Dutt’s home (she welcomes visitors, though asks they maintain social distancing) and the stone’s sunny, springlike painting is sure to bring a smile.

Flowers bloom all around the lower edges, yellow daffodils nodding their painted heads alongside red tulips and other flora, all on a base of grass green and edging into the top half of the rock, painted a sky blue. A big yellow sun spreads its rays over all, creating a welcoming scene.

“My son Jack’s girlfriend, Emily Toby, painted it for me this year,” said Dutt. She added that it looks like Jack will be the next recipient, an extraordinary inheritance unlike any other. “He has shown the most interest,” she said, as to why her youngest is the benefactor, rather than his sister or older brother, Colin.

Dutt hopes that others will take a moment to drive by and appreciate Emily’s lovely handiwork. As with every holiday painting, when Easter passes by, she will recoat the rock in white paint, until the next occasion demands a new look.

“The ‘egg’ has always brought such joy to people,” Dutt said. And in trying times generated by the coronavirus pandemic, a moment of joy is surely welcomed.