Konawa is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,298 at the 2010 census. Konawa is a Seminole word meaning, “string of beads.”

Located in southwestern Seminole County, Konawa, a Seminole word meaning “string of beads,” lies at the intersection of State Highways 9A and 39. On January 7, 1904, Tom West, a mixed-blood Seminole, sold George Northrup a plot of land that became the Konawa townsite. The post office was established upon July 15, 1904, with Robert C. Lovelace as postmaster. Early-day establishments included the first newspaper, the Konawa Chief, hardware and drug stores, lumberyards, a blacksmith, and a bank. In 1903, the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (later the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway) bypassed the user-friendly town of Violet Springs. Most families and businesses moved to other towns. Some moved their houses to Konawa, and many of these buildings continued to stand at the slant of the twenty-first century.

Konawa served as a trade middle for a surrounding agricultural region. At 1907 statehood, population stood at 620. The Konawa Leader has informed the citizens in the past 1917. During the 1920s streets were paved, several oil wells were discovered, and a new tall school was built. In November 1931, Konawa attracted the attention of Pretty Boy Floyd, who robbed the First National Bank. During World War II, the Konawa National Guard Armory (National Register of Historical Places, NR 94000483), a WPA project, housed German prisoners of war. On February 17, 1961, a tornado destroyed downtown Konawa and upset five individuals.

The Sacred Heart Mission, which was the forerunner of St. Gregory’s University moved in 1876 from its native location in Atoka to a location near Konawa and became an abbey and cutting edge a school. After a disastrous fire in 1901 that destroyed the instructor and the monastery, the monks accepted an provide from the town of Shawnee and began construction of the Catholic University of Oklahoma and St. Gregory’s Abbey in 1910. In 1927, the abbey definitely relocated from Konawa to Shawnee.