Locative inversion constructions (LICs) in present-day English (PE) exhibit a peculiar property in that the sentence-initial locative phrase behaves both as a subject and as a topic, and the finite verb overtly raises to T. I argue that this exceptional behavior of LICs reflects the parameter setting from Late Modern English to Early Modern English, when English shifted from a discourse-configurational language to a subject-prominent language. I also claim that this is an instance of single-language parametric variation, where a single language is generous with constructions that are seemingly based on contradictory parametric values. It is demonstrated that LICs resisted the general trend of parametric change in English, i.e., the loss of V2 and overt verb movement, due to an abundance of topicalized PPs and locative adverbs and their specialized function to express the existence or appearance of a noticeable referent. If this is on the right track, we can explain why LICs survived in PE unlike quirky experiencer subject constructions (QESCs), though both LICs and QESCs had an identical syntactic structure in Middle English. Thus, I conclude that the parameter setting of a particular language is conducted on a construction-specific basis, casting doubt on the presence of macroparameters that cause clustering effects and supporting the microparametric view of language variation and change.