Granite was hauled from the South Shore, wood was imported from Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Africa, and marble was brought in from around the world.

Gove received a commendation from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for putting many unemployed craftsmen to work.

[6] Before and after her husband's death Aroline P. Gove (1885–1939) was active in real estate as an investment, buying property in Boston's Back Bay, Peabody, Swampscott, Lynn, Danvers, and Salem.

Modeled on and named for a castle she had visited in Carcassonne, France, during her extensive travels, the stone dwelling featured a central tower with four wings, poured concrete floors, and interior trim in white marble, black onyx, and exotic woods.

[7] Aroline Gove lived only four years after building Carcassonne, which passed to her unmarried daughter Lydia Estes Pinkham (1885–1948) as did the post of treasurer in the Pinkham company; Lydia had assisted her mother since at least 1927, and the year before she hired an airplane and pilot and became the first woman to cross the country by air, from Los Angeles.

He decorated the castle with a number of unique objects, including a jewelry case made out of an ostrich egg, an impala skeleton, and a painting of Muhammad Ali inscribed by the boxer.

[10] Carcassonne's annual benefit for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, known as "Pique-Nique au Bord de Mer" (picnic by the sea), drew a number of famous guests, including Joan Kennedy, John Havlicek, Mike Eruzione, Francis X. Bellotti, Frank Avruch, Tom Ellis, Don Gillis, and Thomas P. O'Neill III.

He stated that he decided to sell the home because its dampness aggravated his asthma and its small windows obstructed his view of the ocean.