Ponkiesbergh (also spelled Ponkiesberg or Ponkiesburg) is nothing more than the Dutch equivalent of the phrase ''cobble hill,'' so named for a steep cobblestone road at what is now the intersection of Court Street, Pacific Street and Atlantic Avenue.
The hill itself played a significant role in the American Revolution, when Cobble Hill Fort was erected at its apex, giving General Washington a splendid view of the fighting along the Gowanus Creek (later Canal) in the Battle of Long Island.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/nyregion/fyi-755982.html?pagewanted=1
